Huddersfield could spring a bit of a surprise when they take on Newcastle in Saturday's late game.
Huddersfield v Newcastle - Saturday 17:30, Sky Sports 1
Newcastle took a huge step back towards the Premier League with a late flourish against Brighton in midweek but the emotional exertions of that come-from-behind victory at the Amex might leave them vulnerable against a high-octane Huddersfield side that made ten changes for the FA Cup fifth round replay at Manchester City. Back the home win at nearly 2/1.
The Terriers have been setting high standards over the past three months, scoring the first goal in 11 of their last 14 league outings and winning ten. Their shot ratio over that period is barely inferior to Newcastle’s over that period and when you consider Dwight Gayle will be missing once again, there’s a case to say David Wagner’s men should be favourites.
Brighton, Leeds and Reading have all been found wanting when confronted by a tidal wave of Town pressure, while Pep Guardiola was content with a stalemate when a strong City side had their usual attacking rhythm disrupted at the John Smith’s Stadium. The setting is extremely difficult for any top team to produce their best football, let alone one stretched for resources.
Given what Newcastle have already been through this week, expect the hosts to set a very high tempo from the first whistle and the Magpies to tire, as a result, late on. The pattern of the game could be similar to what we witnessed on the south coast - except this time with the hosts bagging a killer second. The Huddersfield 2-0 correct score is available at 14/1.
