With the EFL coming to an end this month, it all culminates with the Championship playoff held at Wembley on the 29th of May. Huddersfield Town will play Nottingham Forest in a game that’s become known as the most expensive in football. Every team dreams of a chance of playing in the Premier League, and it’s something that can change the fortunes of any club. The difference between winning and losing the playoff is the difference between mega sponsorship deals as well as new TV rights packages. This can amount to more than £100 million, making it even more valuable than winning the Champions League final.
Playoffs have been a part of the football league since 1987, and they’ve become a big part of other sports too. The MLS, for example, features the seven highest-ranked teams in the two conferences. Betway has the best odds for this season’s MLS playoffs, and offers odds on the Championship playoff too. Fans of both sides will be sure to watch, and it looks like it should be a cracking game for the neutrals too. Huddersfield and Nottingham Forest will both be hoping that they’ll be the ones to join Fulham and Bournemouth in the Premier League for the 2022/23 season.
Nottingham Forest vs Huddersfield Town Preview
In their head to head record, things are pretty even between the two teams, with eight wins and two draws apiece since 2012. This season, Nottingham Forest beat Huddersfield 2-1 in the FA cup back in March and also won 2-0 in the league in September. Huddersfield did beat Forest 1-0 in December, but this was their only win over them this season.
Why Huddersfield Will Win the Playoff
Huddersfield are considered the outsiders for this game, although they did have a slightly better season than their playoff rivals. They finished two points ahead of Nottingham Forest over the course of the league and won their playoff semi-final 2-1 on aggregate against Luton Town.
On top of this, Huddersfield do have the advantage of having reached the Premier League more recently than Forest, reaching the topflight through the playoffs in 2017 and spending two seasons there before being relegated. This recent success could give the Terriers the edge over the Reds, and the fact that they’ve gone unbeaten in seven games bodes well for their fans.
Their best chance of success is to win in normal time, as the longer the game goes on, the more chance Forest will have of coming back into the game. Should they manage to score early, they’ll likely have to hold on in case of a potential comeback.
Why Nottingham Forest Will Win the Playoff
Forest got through their playoff semi-final by the skin of their teeth, coming from two goals down on aggregate to take the match to penalties. Their goalkeeper Brice Samba was the hero of the day, making several saves throughout the game and also saving three penalties to take his side to Wembley. While Forest had a slightly worse season than Huddersfield, they come into this game as the favourites.
Most predict that Nottingham Forest will end their long wait to play in the Premier League, a first return to the topflight since 1999. Their incredible comeback in the playoff semi-final may have just given them the belief they need to do it in the final, and their head to head record over the Terriers this season suggest they certainly have the ability. If it goes to penalties again, they’ll likely have the psychological advantage, with Brice Samba potentially proving to be the difference once more.