Luton V Huddersfield Betting Tips And Odds

Kenilworth Road, Luton, football accumulator tips

Luton v Huddersfield betting tips, odds and preview

The two outsiders in the Championship promotion odds meet in the first play-off semi-final and we have picked out some Luton v Huddersfield betting tips.

Plenty of pundits are tipping the winners of Nottingham Forest’s tie with Sheffield United to be promoted but Luton and Huddersfield have spent the season defying the doubters.

One of them will now get the chance to go to Wembley with a place in the Premier League at stake ahead of Friday’s first leg, which kicks off at 7.45pm and is live on Sky Sports.

Luton on the rise

Luton only returned to the Football League in 2014 when they were crowned champions of the National League so to now be in contention for promotion to the Premier League is an incredible story.

They dropped out of League Two in 2009 but have climbed back up the footballing ladder at a similar speed to the way they slid down it due to financial problems and points deductions.

Luton finished in sixth place and only secured a play-off place on the final day of the regular season but their 1-0 win against Reading proved unnecessary with seventh-placed Middlesbrough losing.

Boss Nathan Jones said: “I’m really pleased we didn’t rely on anyone else, lose the game and it be an anti-climax. We had to do it ourselves.

“To get to 75 points which we predicted, it’s a wonderful Championship season and success for us realistically is making sure we don’t go out of the league. Well, we might have an opportunity to go out of the league, just at a different end.”

GOAL – CORNICK
ASSIST – KENILWORTH ROAD#COYH pic.twitter.com/TitmOWgqKG

— Luton Town FC (@LutonTown) May 9, 2022

Luton may feel they have nothing to lose and are 29/20 to maintain their momentum and win the first leg but they are in the worst form of the four play-off teams, having only won three of their last eight games.

Injuries have played their part and a 7-0 defeat against Fulham cannot have helped confidence, while their failure to score against Huddersfield this season is a concern.

The two teams drew 0-0 at Kenilworth Road in October and with so much at stake, this has the makings of a cagey encounter.

At least one team not to score is an option for Luton v Huddersfield betting tips at 4/5, while under 1.5 goals is 17/10.

Defence key for Terriers

Huddersfield fans chanted about going to “Luton Town away” as the gallows humour kicked in during their second season in the Premier League when relegation became inevitable.

Few could have predicted then that a return to the top flight would potentially be on the cards five years later, or that a trip to Luton would be involved if they are to repeat the play-off success they enjoyed under David Wagner.

The Terriers were widely seen as relegation contenders before the season began, having finished last season in 20th place with the worst defensive record in the Championship.

Their summer recruitment proved inspired though as Ollie Turton, Matthew Pearson and Tom Lees were all brought in on free transfers to improve the defence.

Behind them, goalkeeper Lee Nicholls was another free signing and has gone from second choice at MK Dons in League One to the team of the season in the Championship with 18 clean sheets.

That defensive improvement has been the backbone of an impressive campaign under Carlos Corberan who steered Huddersfield to third place in the table with their 2-0 win against Bristol City at the weekend.

They have only dropped two points in their last seven matches despite having secured their play-off place with two games to go and are 21/10 to earn a fourth successive away win on Friday.

The Terriers are 8/15 to avoid defeat while the draw is also 21/10, with another 0-0 draw available at 7/1.

5️⃣ goals in 7️⃣ games for Toffs!#htafc | @Harry_Toffolo | #TerrierSpirit pic.twitter.com/gqyoLSzcv1

— Huddersfield Town (@htafc) May 8, 2022

Huddersfield were promoted via the play-offs five years ago despite their only goal in all three games coming via an own goal so captain Jonathan Hogg – the only player still involved now – will stress the importance of keeping things tight at the back.

That again suggests a low-scoring game for our Luton v Huddersfield betting tips and the visitors to win or draw the first leg, keep a clean sheet in the first half and under 3.5 total goals is an option at 11/8.

Harry Toffolo is also worth considering in the goalscorer markets. The left-back has been a revelation in recent weeks with five goals in eight games, three of which were the first of the match.

Toffolo is 25/1 to score first here, 11/1 to be on target or 16/1 to score Huddersfield’s first goal.

Championship play-off final: Analysing historic trends

View the latest Championship odds

All odds and markets correct as of date of publication