League leaders Fulham welcome play-off chasing Huddersfield to Craven Cottage on Saturday lunchtime. Jake Pearson has previewed the fixture, picking out his best bet.
Football betting tips: Championship
1pt Both Teams to Score ‘NO’ at 9/10 (BetVictor)
Fulham and Huddersfield have proved two of the most difficult teams to beat in the Sky Bet Championship of late, the hosts unbeaten in their last seven league matches, while you have to go back to late November to find the last time the Terriers tasted defeat.
Six points clear at the top heading into the weekend, Fulham will be desperate to avoid any slip-ups from hereon in, and in truth, it would be something of a miscarriage of justice were Marco Silva’s men not to finish in the top two come the end of the season.
Not only have they scored the most goals – some 29 more than next-best Bournemouth – as well as conceding the joint-fewest, they also boast the best process in the division as per expected goals (xG), with an expected goal difference (xGD) of +39.3.
If they continue at the same rate they are on track to record the second highest xGD team of a Championship team since Infogol began collating data – Leeds in 2019/20 are the current highest with +48.6.
Kick-off time: 12:30 GMT, Saturday
TV Channel: Sky Sports Main Event
Fulham 1/3 | Draw 4/1 | Huddersfield 15/2
They are formidable, but not unstoppable, and Carlos Corberán’s men may fancy their chances of limiting the west London outfit.
The Spanish coach has done impressive work with Huddersfield this season – so much so that he has reportedly generated interest from Leeds as the Premier League outfit put a succession plan in place for a post-Marcelo Bielsa era – and for all Fulham’s unquestionable attacking prowess, perhaps the Terriers, who have kept the third most clean sheets in the division this season, are one of the best equipped teams to keep them at bay.
It will be no mean feat, with Fulham hitting the back of the net in all but three of their Championship games this season, but no goals conceded across their last four matches for Huddersfield is certainly an encouraging sign.
At the other end of the pitch the Terriers haven’t been the most prolific, actually failing to score in their last two, and their goal tally of 40 this season is actually lower than 17th place Bristol City.
They may be considered fortunate to have netted that many times as well, their expected goals process of 1.14 xGF per game ranking them as the eighth worst attacking outfit in the league in terms of chance creation.
Despite Fulham’s reputation, don’t expect this game to be a thrill-a-minute affair.
The Championship is actually the lowest scoring of the top three divisions in English football, averaging 2.49 goals per game, and a price of 9/10 about BOTH TEAMS TO SCORE ‘NO’ makes appeal in this particular fixture.
Fulham v Huddersfield best bets and score prediction
- 1pt Both Teams to Score ‘NO’ at 9/10 (BetVictor)
Score prediction: Fulham 1-0 Huddersfield (Sky Bet odds: 6/1)
Odds correct at 1110 GMT (18/02/22)
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