Huddersfield v Burnley predictions: New-look duo may take time to hit top stride

Free football tips, best bets and analysis for Huddersfield v Burnley in the Championship on Friday.

Where to watch

Sky Sports Football & Main Event, 8pm Friday

Best bet

Draw & under 2.5 goals
1pt 3-1 bet365

Team news

Huddersfield
Matty Pearson will be assessed after picking up an injury in Huddersfield's final pre-season game. Danny Schofield has otherwise a fully-fit squad to choose from.

Burnley
Vincent Kompany is without Johann Berg Gudmundsson and Ashley Westwood, but Taylor Harwood-Bellis and Scott Twine are available to make their debuts. Dwight McNeil has gone to Everton and Maxwel Cornet has also been linked with a move away, so should miss Friday's opener.

Match preview

Two months on from suffering Wembley heartache in the Championship playoff final, Huddersfield raise the curtain on the 2022-23 EFL season at home to relegated Burnley.

The tenacious Terriers confounded pre-season predictions to finish third in the Championship last season, just six points adrift of the top two. They then overcame Luton in the playoff semi-finals but fell agonisingly short at Wembley, losing 1-0 to Nottingham Forest.

Despite last season’s near-miss, Huddersfield start the campaign with little optimism having seen large parts of a successful squad break up during the summer.

Not only did highly-regarded manager Carlos Corberan resign three weeks before the beginning of the new season, but the Terriers were unable to keep hold of two of their most influential performers as, not content with pipping them to a place in the Premier League, Forest completed a double swoop for Lewis O'Brien and Harry Toffolo.

The departures haven't stopped there, either. Spanish full-back Pipa has joined Olympiacos, loan stars Danel Sinani and Levi Colwill have returned to their parent clubs and Naby Sarr has also left for pastures new, meaning six of the starting 11 from that playoff final defeat are no longer with the West Yorkshire club.

Danny Schofield, a member of Corberan's coaching staff, has taken the reins and there is still plenty of quality at his disposal, although consolidation already seems likelier than another promotion push.

Schofield may require time to implement his own ideas but the same may be true at Burnley, who are also under new management and are preparing for a Championship campaign after six successive seasons in the top-flight.

Serial Premier League winner Vincent Kompany is the new man in the Burnley dugout, with the former Manchester City star vowing to deliver a more possession-based approach.

But there are plenty of unknowns with a long list of defensive departures including Nick Pope, James Tarkowski, Ben Mee, Nathan Collins and Erik Pieters.

Kompany has raided former club City to replenish his stock but they have lost a lot of experience at the back, while attacking talent Dwight McNeil has left for Everton and Maxwel Cornet is another who appears to be on his way out.

Scott Twine and Josh Cullen have been drafted in to bolster midfield creativity but strikers Jay Rodriguez and Ashley Barnes managed only eight goals between them last season and aren’t guaranteed to hit the ground running.

So, with both teams best left alone in the short term as they deal with potential teething problems, backing a low-scoring draw may be the safest approach on the Championship's opening night.

Huddersfield lost only four of their 23 home league games last term and they managed 11 clean sheets during that spell, despite many expected-goals metrics having them punching above their weight.

Of Huddersfield’s 49 regular-season and playoff games last term, 29 featured no more than two goals while another 12 finished with exactly three strikes.

A low-scoring contest boosts the chances of a stalemate, a result which may please both parties at this early stage.

Key stat

Three of the last five meetings between these teams have ended level.

Inside info

Huddersfield

Penalty taker Duane Holmes
Assist ace Sorba Thomas
Set-piece aerial threat Tom Lees
Card magnet Sorba Thomas

Burnley

Penalty taker Ashley Barnes
Assist ace Scott Twine
Set-piece aerial threat Jay Rodriguez
Card magnet Josh Brownhill

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