[Football- England 'Championship'] 11.4/ 20:45 Huddersfield Town- Luton Town

[MN]

[Football- England 'Championship'] 11.4/ 20:45 Huddersfield Town- Luton Town

In a crucial fixture for both teams, Huddersfield will welcome Luton for a game which can have a monumental impact for the promotion hopes of either side. Huddersfield were able to get a win in their previous game against a Hull side who were forced to play with 10 men for 45 minutes, after dropping their previous two games to promotion contenders Bournemouth and Millwall. Importantly, Huddersfield will have a nice boost to their offense with Danny Ward returning to the side after sitting out the previous fixture against Hull, as well as a strengthening of their midfield with the return of Jonathan Hogg. Additionally important is the injury suffered by experienced defender Matthew Pearson, whose absence will surely be noticed in the Huddersfield defense. These injuries, in addition to the overall importance of the fixture, paint a picture of a side who will likely have to rely on their offensive capabilities to get the points they so desperately need from a fixture like this. In 19 home games this season Huddersfield have scored 27 and conceded 20. Although they have struggled somewhat with scoring goals in their previous three fixtures, I expect that, due to the reasons described above, they should be able to get a goal in today’s game.

Luton will be coming into this fixture with a renewed sense of confidence after going undefeated in 4 consecutive fixtures, prior to which they had only dropped points in tight games against playoff contenders in QPR and Middlesbrough in their previous 10. They will be a tough test for this Huddersfield side. There are no new notable injury concerns to note for Luton, however their defense will have been stretched thin with the tight schedule of fixtures due to the long-term injuries to goalkeeper Jed Steer, and defenders Gabriel Osho and Reece Burke. In games as crucial as this, having a limited squad can be a decisive factor. Particularly considering that Luton's replacement goalkeeper, James Shea, has kept just one clean sheet in five games since replacing Jed Steer. In 20 away games this season Luton have scored 25 goals and conceded 24.

With only six games remaining this season, and with how tight the promotion standings are in the Championship, this game between #4 Huddersfield and #5 Luton can be seen as an absolutely crucial game for both sides, as being able to claim one of those coveted playoff spots can come down to a single point by the end of the season.

BTTS (Both Teams to Score) @1,85 Bet365

FT 2:0