CHAMPIONSHIP: The Striker previews Friday’s Championship game between HUDDERSFIELD v STOKE with a recommended BETDAQ bet.

HUDDERSFIELD V STOKE

7.45pm With the Premier League on their winter break, the Championship is the focus for Friday Night Football on BETDAQ Betting Exchange as Huddersfield host stoke. It actually wasn’t so long ago that this was a Premier League fixture, but after the 2017/18 Stoke went down to the Championship and then Huddersfield followed them down in 2018/19 after a terrible season. Since then they have been very average in the Championship, however Huddersfield are having their best season as they sit in 6th at the moment.

I know both sides were very poor when they went down from the Premier League, but it has been striking how far they have fallen. Huddersfield are right in the Playoff mix for this season though, and that’s a massive step forward. Stoke are still sitting in mid-table and are seemingly going nowhere for the moment. They sit slightly above Sheffield United, perhaps a sign of how difficult it is to actually adjust to the Championship once you fall from the Premier League. Everyone just assumes you can bounce back up, but it’s not that easy – the Championship is so competitive.

We have a reasonably open market here, but Huddersfield arrive into the fixture in great form. They came out on top in a seven goal thriller last weekend away to Reading, and they managed to beat Burnley in the FA Cup recently too. I know Burnley are having a poor season in the Premier League but you have to go back to the 27th of November for the last time Huddersfield lost in the Championship. They haven’t been doing anything flashy, they are just consistently grinding out good results week after week.

It’s a different story when you look at the xG figures for Stoke. They have found wins hard to come by and they don’t create many chances. Even in their win away to QPR in December they conceded an xG of 2.77 and were exceptionally lucky to not concede a goal from that. Their recent xG figures read 0.23 (v Coventry) and 0.83 (v Fulham) but they did play very well away to Hull when winning 2-0 with an xG of 2.14. Stoke actually move up the take just based on away form which is why Huddersfield are trading 2.57 here. On balance, you would view that price as good value when you just look at recent form and the table, but it’s cleat Stoke like playing away.

I would still lean towards backing Huddersfield in the match odds market though and I couldn’t put anyone off the current 2.57. They are a better side than Stoke and come into the fixture full of confidence. I feel the stand out bet here though is under 2.5 goals at 1.7. I know both sides have been involved in high scoring games here and there recently, but that’s the nature of the Championship. If you look at the long-term stats and xG figures then this game screams unders. I feel we’ll have a cagey game here and under 2.5 goals is too big to ignore at 1.7.

The Striker Says:
Two points win Under 2.5 goals at 1.7 with BETDAQ BETTING EXCHANGE.

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