Huddersfield Town VS Chelsea Match Prediction
2018-08-11
14:00:00
Huddersfield Town
VS
Chelsea
Our Prediction Tip
Chelsea will win this match.
2018-08-1114:00:00 Chelsea will win this match.
Huddersfield have won 27 games against Chelsea, compared to the Blues’ 29 wins in this fixture while there have also been ten draws. Last season – their first league meetings since 1984 – saw Chelsea win 3-1 in West Yorkshire but a 1-1 draw in reverse fixture guaranteed the Terriers’ Premier League survival. At the John Smith’s Stadium, Tiemoue Bakayoko, Willian and Pedro scored Chelsea’s goals before a late Laurent Depoitre consolation, and it was Depoitre who scored again at Stamford Bridge before Marcos Alonso equalised.
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Chelsea have been unspectacular on the pitch during this pre-season and are still without key players such as N’Golo Kante and Eden Hazard after the World Cup.
However, they will expect nothing less than a win against Huddersfield Town – despite the Terriers’ impressive pre-season results so far.
Town beat Lyon, Bologna and RB Leipzig in their pre-season friendlies, but all three teams were short of match fitness and not at full strength.
Chelsea looked below-par in the Community Shield but we are a week on from that game now and more players – including Willian, who scored at the John Smith’s Stadium last season – are back up to match speed now.
They looked exposed in the middle and short of options up front – something Kante and Hazard will repair on their return to the side – but they should still have enough attacking strength to see off Huddersfield.
Pedro scored twice in pre-season and will look to repeat his goal at Huddersfield last season, while the new 4-3-3 system is unlikely to inhibit Marcos Alonso from bombing forward and supporting the attack.
Chelsea may have been below-par in pre-season, but this is when the real work starts – and it would be a big surprise if they did not beat Huddersfield.
Despite failing to impress during pre-season, Chelsea are big odds-on favourites to kick off the new Premier League campaign with a win – they are a best price of 8/13 with Bet365 to beat Huddersfield.
Town lacked goals last season, despite scoring in both games against the Blues, and a Chelsea win to nil improves those odds to 31/20 with Ladbrokes.
Chelsea have also lacked goals in pre-season, however, and are likely to be without Eden Hazard and Olivier Giroud on Saturday. Do not expect many goals, therefore – under 1.5 goals will return 11/4 with 888sport and you can still get a best price of 10/11 from Betfair for under 2.5 goals.
As for those goals, Pedro and Willian will provide Chelsea’s attacking creativity and both scored in this fixture last season. Pedro is 16/5 with 888sport to score at any time – despite scoring two of Chelsea’s three pre-season goals, and Willian can be backed at 5/2 with Betway.
Chelsea have lacked goals in pre-season and are still without some key attacking players, but it may only take one goal to ensure they kick off the new season with a win.
New signings Terence Kongolo, Adama Diakhaby and Ramadan Sobhi could all start against Chelsea but the game is likely to be too soon for Erik Durm, who only made his first pre-season appearance in the most recent match against RB Leipzig. Diakhaby came off the bench to score in the second half of that game, and could partner Steve Mounie up front – though the Terriers might also opt for a more defensive formation against the Blues.
Steve Mounie – Started last season with two goals on the opening day, and has rediscovered his goalscoring touch in pre-season.
Terence Kongolo – Huddersfield's new record signing impressed on loan at the end of last season, helping to shore up the Town defence and keep them in the Premier League
Aaron Mooy – Huddersfield's World Cup star was one of Town’s best players in the maiden Premier League season, controlling possession in the middle.
Since losing 3-0 to Accrington Stanley, Huddersfield have been in unbeaten in their final five friendlies. Draws with Dynamo Dresden and Darmstadt 98 started that sequence, before a 3-1 defeat of Lyon – Terence Kongolo and two from Laurent Depoitre ensuring a comeback win. They then headed to Austria and beat Bologna 2-1 thanks to Steve Mounie’s last-minute header, before completing their mini tour by beating RB Leipzig – Mounie, Adama Diakhaby and Philip Billing scoring in a 3-1 win.
New record signing Kepa Arrizabalaga is set to make his debut in goal against Huddersfield Town, but it is unlikely Mateo Kovacic will feature even if his loan move from Real Madrid is confirmed – the Croatian had an extended post-World Cup break, just like Eden Hazard, Michy Batshuayi, N’golo Kante and Olivier Giroud. Hazard, Kante and Giroud all appeared from the bench against Lyon but are still short of match fitness.
Pedro – Scored two goals in the first two pre-season friendlies and, in Eden Hazard’s likely absence, will have a big attacking role to play.
Willian – Attracted interest from Barcelona during this transfer window after a career-best 13 goals in all competitions last season.
Kepa Arrizabalaga – While he is expected to be quiet against Huddersfield, the new world-record most expensive goalkeeper ever will be under intense scrutiny.
Chelsea’s only pre-season win so far was in their first match, when Pedro’s early goal was enough to beat Perth Glory. They only lost once too, but it was in their only (semi-) competitive match – the Community Shield against Manchester City, when Sergio Aguero scored twice in a 2-0 City win at Wembley. All three International Champions Cup matches were drawn – 1-1 against Inter and Arsenal, beating the former on penalties but losing to the latter – and then 0-0 with Lyon last time out before Eden Hazard struck the winning spot-kick.
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