Huddersfield Town vs Burnley

Verdict: Burnley to win

Best Odds: 13/5

Bookmaker: Bet 365

Huddersfield and Burnley are two of the surprise packages from this season so far. We preview their Premier League clash which takes place at the John Smith’s Stadium on Saturday.

Huddersfield

After a worrying run of four straight defeats, Huddersfield have managed to find their form again and are sitting proudly just outside the top half of the league in 11^th place. Tuesday’s 1-1 draw with Stoke City meant they have now picked up eight points from the last five games, and are currently three matches unbeaten. Wins over Brighton and Watford during the past month have shown the Terriers can more than hold their own against sides similar in quality and they have a great defensive record against teams outside the top six at the John Smith’s Stadium. Excluding matches against Tottenham Hotspur, Manchester City, Manchester United and Chelsea, David Wagner’s men have only conceded two goals in six games at home which shows how tight they can be against the lesser sides in the division. However, Burnley are the surprise package this season and are only five points off a Champions League place so it will be a difficult afternoon for Huddersfield.

Team News

Michael Hefele won’t be back until the New Year after suffering a setback in his injury recovery, while Elias Kachunga. Philip Billing and Jon Stankovic are long-term absentees.

Burnley

Sitting comfortably in seventh place in the Premier League, pre-season relegation candidates Burnley are easily the surprise package of the campaign so far.  Manager Sean Dyche’s determined and dogged team have only lost twice on the road and were desperately unlucky not to beat Manchester United at Old Trafford on Tuesday after conceding a last-minute equaliser. It’s a far cry from their record last season in which they didn’t record an away win until the back end of the campaign, and they have only lost to Manchester City and Leicester City on their travels so far. Dyche seems to have a knack of competing and getting results against teams that are similar in terms of quality, and he will be confident of snatching at least a draw on Saturday against a Huddersfield team that have been inconsistent all season. Burnley are currently on a three game winless run but their fairy-tale campaign can get back up and running again with a victory at the John Smith’s Stadium.

Team News

James Tarkowski will miss another match again due to suspension.

Stephen Ward, Chris Wood and Robbie Brady are out because of knee problems.

Meanwhile, Scott Arfield is in line to face his former club.

Key Factors to Consider

• Burnley have lost just three of their 20 league meetings with Huddersfield Town since March 1971 (W11 D6 L3)
• The Premier League meeting between these two sides this season ended 0-0 and saw just 13 shots in total – just one match in this competition has seen fewer
• After keeping a clean sheet in their first three Premier League games, Huddersfield have only kept a further three in 17 fixtures
• Only the current top four have won more points away from home than Burnley this season (16)
• The Terriers have scored the first goal in seven different home Premier League games this campaign – only Manchester City have done so in more (8)

Conclusion

This will be a tight game between two sides who have performed wonderfully well this season. However, we’re going to back Sean Dyche’s men to get the victory at the John Smith’s Stadium by the odd goal.

Verdict: Burnley to win

Best odds: 13/5

Bookmaker: Bet 365