Sam Ingram's Championship Playoff Final Bet Builder: Huddersfield vs Nottingham Forest, May 29th
Over two decades have passed since Nottingham Forest Football Club kicked a top-flight ball in anger. May 1999, to be precise, on the other side of the millennium.
Championship Promotion Play-Off Bet Builder
- Over 14.5 Goal Kicks In The Match
- Over 29.5 Tackles In The Match
- Over 24.5 Free Kicks In The Match
- Over 4 Corners For Forest
Bet Builder is available at 9.50 odds
Odds as at 9am May 27th 2022. Odds may now differ.
Read Scott Thornton’s Championship Playoff Final Bet Builder
In this article
- Huddersfield vs Nottingham Forest Stats and Facts
- Huddersfield vs Nottingham Forest Bet Builder Tips
Forest’s squad, to put it in perspective, includes Brennan Johnson (2001), Djed Spence (2000), and James Garner (2001), to name a few – a significant trio likely to start on Sunday. All three were not yet born the last time their club resided in the first division.
You would be laughed out of the room, especially in Nottingham, if you predicted a 23-year stay outside of the Premier League for the Tricky Trees. A side who, coincidentally, had not long pulled up trees in Europe and claimed the continent’s greatest honour. Twice. Back-to-back.
Now plying their trade in the Championship with two stars upon their crest, perhaps it’s their time. Steve Cooper’s presence in the dugout is one which will have encouraged that train of thought.
Get more tips for this match on our Huddersfield vs Nottingham Forest Tips Page
There have been 28 permanent and caretaker managers in charge of Forest’s 23-year exodus. Cooper leads them all with a 59.1% win rate, but that’s no surprise with just seven losses from 44 since entering Forest’s dugout.
Cooper and his resilient bunch in Nottingham will be treated to no walkover in search of Premier League delights. Carlos Corberán’s Yorkshire outfit will have their own ideas in that respect.
If history is to repeat itself for Huddersfield, perhaps we should expect a drab 90-minutes. From the 108 playoff finals to date throughout the EFL pyramid, only three have ended 0-0 after extra time. The Terriers made up half the billing in all three. Interestingly, Huddersfield ended each of the three goalless finals with a penalty shootout win, something they’d bite your hand off for now.
Corberán’s men, who last tasted Premier League football in 2018/19, enter the fixture as 3.40 underdogs, whilst Forest can be backed at just over Evens. It’s a hefty price for a side nine unbeaten, having lost on only three occasions (in a four-game period) in 26 matches this calendar year.
For that reason and the likelihood of the match to be played conservatively for most parts, bet365’s Huddersfield +0.25 on the Asian Handicap at 2.03 is attractive as a single, winning half returns for a draw and full for a win.
Despite the odds luring me towards a Huddersfield result, it’s difficult to look past Forest. Their Sheffield United semi-final showings proved that stopping this squad in their tracks is far from easy. Nevertheless, the personnel within their ranks, coupled with the football they play, surpasses their opponents in terms of quality for me.
Huddersfield vs Nottingham Forest Stats and Facts
- Thirty-seven different clubs have gained promotion to the Premier League during the timeframe that Nottingham Forest spent below it.
- In the first of four playoff ties that Forest fell short in, in 2002/03, David Johnson (dad of Brennan) played up top for the not-so Tricky Trees.
- It’s Nottingham Forest’s first playoff final since 1987.
- Huddersfield Town became the only club to successfully navigate the playoffs (2016/17) after finishing the regular season with a negative goal difference in the Championship.
- Lee Nicholls has experienced playoff football before, lining up for Northampton in the 2013 League Two play-off final. The Terriers’ shot-stopper conceded three first-half goals in a 3-0 defeat to Bradford City. Danny Ward, who should feature on Sunday, started in both the 2011 and 2012 League One play-off finals for Huddersfield.
Huddersfield vs Nottingham Forest Bet Builder Tips
- Nottingham Forest to Win
- Brennan Johnson 2+ Shots
- Huddersfield 1+ Second Half Cards
Available at 3.75 with bet365
Odds via bet365 are correct as of 12:00 on 25th May 2022. Odds may now differ.
Forest to be a Premier League club come the end 90 minutes is what I’m signing up for – 2.15 is the price, providing a solid footing to the bet builder. With Cooper at the helm, it feels like the stars have aligned at exactly the right time for those in Nottingham.
Just four losses this calendar year mirror that of Huddersfield’s 2022 form. However, their FA Cup run, which included a victory over Sunday’s opponents, is what really harnessed attention within the footballing world. Overcoming Arsenal, handing a 4-1 battering to Leicester City, and falling only one goal short to a strong Liverpool side is reflective of the talent on show on the banks of the River Trent.
For me, Forest have the makings of a Premier League side. That’s not to say Huddersfield don’t, but there is a gulf between the two, and I’d expect that to rear its head. Hopefully, that gulf comes in the shape of a 90-minute result for the bet builder’s sake.
Next up, let’s delve into a prop market. Brennan Johnson has been nothing short of fantastic this season. The year on loan for League One Lincoln was clearly the perfect tutoring for the 21-year-old. Johnson acclimatised to professional football by featuring in 43 of 46 league fixtures, grabbing 11 goals and five assists whilst he was at it.
Those kinds of numbers suggested that a step up to the Championship was one that Forest could feel comfortable handing the young Welsh international. Nevertheless, it’s not a seamless step up from League One to the Championship. It’s not easy. Yet, the 16 goals and ten assists highlight the trajectory Brennan Johnson finds himself grappling with. Regardless of whether Forest clinch promotion, don’t be surprised to see the forward at a Premier League ground near you next season.
In terms of shots at goal, Johnson has registered 2.30 shots per90 across 43 Championship outings. To hit over two per90 over such a long period highlights the attacking intent of Forest’s number 20 – hence why Johnson to register 2+ attempts is straight in the shopping basket.
Last but certainly not least, the three-pronged bet builder shall be capped off by a touch of ill-discipline. Jonathon Moss is set to bow out of the game after Sunday’s match-up, but I can’t say he’ll be missed by punters who enjoy a card wager or two.
If the Reds do take the lead at Wembley and play out the second half protecting their passage to the Premier League, I anticipate Huddersfield frustrations to mount. The Terriers possess a 1.54 yellows per90 average this term, a total not overly encouraging for cards-backers. Moss has produced 1.96 second half cards from 25 appearances in the Premier League. However, in his one Championship fixture, Moss brandished six.
A late Huddersfield booking isn’t too much to ask with so much on the line.
WHAT IS A BET BUILDER?
A bet builder is a kind of accumulator bet solely focussed on one match. A standard acca features multiple selections across different selections combined together into one bet. If one selection loses, the whole bet loses. A bet builder is similar but each selection is placed on the same match. Similar to the American prop bet, the bet builder goes into detail on a single match. Common selections include match outcome, total goals, cards, corners, and players to score.
