Eng. Championship
2012-11-27 - Middlesbrough vs Huddersfield Town
A Sports Betting Pick by Auls
Football: English Championship
Tuesday 27 November 2012 - Kick Off 7:45pm
Middlesbrough
After over-achieving last season and coming close to a Play Off place, not many were expecting big things from Middlesbrough this season. However, they look set to perhaps surpass their achievements from last season and there has to be some fans beginning to wonder if a return to the Premier League is on the horizon.
Middlesbrough are 4th in the Championship and they are only 5 points behind Cardiff City at the top of the table. They will be hoping to put some of their recent results behind them and get back to winning ways, especially at the Riverside Stadium where they are 6-1-2 this season. The side have scored 18 goals and conceded 12 in those games.
Back to back League defeats have put the dampner on things at Middlesbrough, including a surprising 1-3 loss against Bristol City here over the weekend. Middlesbrough had previously won 3 in a row at home and had been unbeaten in 4 games at the Riverside Stadium.
Grant Leadbitter is suspended and misses out along with Jonathan Woodgate and Faris Haroun.
Huddersfield Town
After earning promotion from League One last season, there was a period of the season when Huddersfield Town fans may just have begun thinking that they could emulate Norwich City and Southampton in achieving back to back promotions through to the Premier League. Those have been taken down a peg or two recently, but they remain above pre-season expectations.
Huddersfield are 10th in the Championship table, but they have earned 28 points so far this season and it is the nature of the Division that means they are only 9 points of the leader. The side have a 4-2-3 record away from home so far this season, scoring 12 goals and conceding 13.
After a period of losing 4 games in 6, Huddersfield have now lost just 1 of their last 5 games in the League although they have won just 2 of their last 7. Huddersfield are unbeaten in their last 2 away games, including a 1-1 draw at Charlton Athletic at the weekend, after previously losing back to back games on their travels.
Adam Clayton is suspended, while Huddersfield are appealing Keith Southern's sending off at the weekend and will receive a decision on game day. Sean Scannell and Jermaine Beckford are both requiring fitness tests to determine their availability.
Head to Head
This will be the first meeting between the sides since the 1997/98 campaign when Middlesbrough recorded a League double over Huddersfield Town, including a 3-0 win at home.
Boro have won their last 3 home games in all competitions against Huddersfield.
Prediction
I hate backing odds on sides in this Division considering the up and down nature of team performances, but I think Middlesbrough can bounce back from a disappointing home loss to Bristol City at the weekend.
Huddersfield Town have lost at Cardiff City earlier in the campaign and have generally played sides that sit below them in the League and I believe playing with ten men on Saturday for almost an hour at Charlton could take its toll in this one.
As I say, I hate odds against quotes in a notoriously difficult League to pick winners, but Middlesbrough will be the call.
The Pick :
Middlesbrough 2-1 Huddersfield Town
BEST BETTING TIP :
I'll back Middlesbrough @ 1.92
