Huddersfield Town vs Birmingham City: Betting Odds & Prediction

Huddersfield Town welcome Birmingham City to the John Smith's Stadium for a huge relegation showdown in the Championship on Saturday afternoon.

The hosts currently occupy 23rd position, two points behind Saturday’s opponents Birmingham who are also in the relegation zone in 22nd. Defeat for either could confirm relegation this weekend, depending on results elsewhere at Hillsborough, The Den and Ewood Park. 

Kick-off is set for 3pm UK time. 

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Huddersfield Town

Preparation for this make or break fixture has been far from ideal for the Terriers, following last weekend's capitulation in their 4-0 home defeat to Swansea City. Andre Breitenreiter’s team find themselves on the brink of relegation, as they enter a weekend where only a win will suffice. 

Huddersfield have won just one game in their last ten, leaving them perilously close to the relegation trap door. Their desperate plight is largely down to their dreadful defensive record, which happens to be the second worst in the Championship. They have conceded 74 league goals, at an average of 1.68 per match, with only bottom side Rotherham United having shipped more. They have only managed to keep a clean sheet in 18% of their league matches this campaign. 

A crumb of comfort for Huddersfield is that six of their nine wins in the league have come at home. They have generally struggled in front of goal all season, underperforming on their expected goals (xG) stat of 1.12 by scoring an average of 1.07 per game. Of their total of 47 league goals, 53% have come at the John Smiths Stadium.

Matches involving the Terriers tend to produce goals at either end, with 66% of their league matches this season seeing both teams score. 

Birmingham City

An eye-catching 3-0 victory over Coventry City had appeared to breathe new life into Gary Rowett's Birmingham City ahead of last week's trip to Rotherham. However, the frustrating 0-0 draw that played out represented a big missed opportunity for the Blues. They must find their shooting boots on their next visit to Yorkshire if they are to be successful in their survival bid this season.

Birmingham have won two of their last three home matches, but away from home is where they have really struggled in 2024. Their last away victory was at Stoke City, all the way back in January, and they have only registered three away wins all season. With six separate bosses in charge throughout the season (John Eustace, Steve Spooner, Wayne Rooney, Tony Mowbray, Mark Venus and Gary Rowett), Birmingham have lost 68% of their away league matches in a turbulent campaign.

Birmingham have found scoring goals tough going all season, managing to net just 48 at an average of 1.27 per game. This has been a particular achilles heel away from St Andrews, with just 37.5% of their season tally coming in away matches, at an average of just 0.82 per game.

Their defensive record follows a similar trend, with them faring much better at home than they do away. They have conceded 64 league goals this season, of which 61% were relinquished on their travels. Having said that, Birmingham have only conceded three goals in their previous five matches, with Gary Rowett hoping that more of this resilience can see his team over the line. 

Prediction

Both sides have effectively reached the point of no return in their season, but defeat for Huddersfield is simply not an option here. Andre Breitenreiter and the Huddersfield faithful will be demanding a big response from last week's humbling at the hands of Swansea. 

Birmingham’s inability to break down the division's worst defence last week, coupled with the home side's desperate need for three points being so urgent, means a Huddersfield win is the sensible pick in this one. 

OddsNow's Pick: Huddersfield Town to win (5/4 @ Sky Bet)