English Premier
2019-01-29 - Huddersfield Town vs Everton
A Sports Betting Pick by Auls
Football: English Premier League
Tuesday 29th January 2019 - Kick Off 7:45pm
Huddersfield Town
The latest manager who has moved from managing Borussia Dortmund II and joined an English club is Jan Siewert who takes over from David Wagner as manager of Huddersfield Town. Fans of the club will be hoping Siewert can have the same impact Wagner did in his little over three years managing the club, but the real judgement of the new manager will likely come next season.
For all intents and purposes Huddersfield Town are going to be relegated to the Championship in the next couple of months and the club have to be thinking about how they can attack things to earn promotion back to the top flight. With just 45 points left to play for, Huddersfield Town are bottom of the Premier League and 10 points from safety and even a Hollywood script would seem far-fetched if they can escape from their predicament.
Huddersfield Town have not won any of their last 11 games in all competitions and they have lost 10 of those, but Jan Siewert has had a few days to work with his players as they were not involved in the FA Cup this past weekend. They have not won any of 6 games at the John Smith's Stadium and Huddersfield Town have lost 5 in a row in front of their fans.
Abdelhamid Sabiri, Aaron Mooy and Philip Billing are all doubts for this fixture, but all are also closing in on returns.
Everton
I may not be a big fan of VAR, but I acknowledge it is something that is coming into Football and there isn't a lot we can do about it. However I do think it is an utter disgrace that it is being used in FA Cup ties at Premier League grounds but not through the competition as a whole and there is no doubt that Everton manager Marco Silva will be feeling the same after seeing his team exit in the Fourth Round.
A clear handball goal was not ruled out as Millwall equalised for the second time against Everton on Saturday and that was despite the replay being shown on the big screen. Ultimately VAR was not available and the late goal conceded by Everton soured the mood even more in a competition where only seven top flight clubs enter the Fifth Round draw. The Toffees return to the Premier League this week where they are 11th in the table and have a 2-3-6 away record.
Everton have lost 6 of their last 9 games in all competitions, although they have won all 3 other fixtures played in that run. The defeat at the New Den on Saturday means Everton have won 1 of their last 8 away games in all competitions and they have slipped to a defeat in 5 of their last 6 on their travels.
Phil Jagielka is expected to be out until the middle of February, while Yerry Mina suffered a knock in the defeat to Millwall and is doubtful.
Head to Head
These two teams settled for a 1-1 draw at Goodison Park earlier this season.
Last season Everton did the League double over Huddersfield Town which included a 0-2 win here.
Huddersfield Town had been unbeaten in 6 home games against Everton before that, but they last met in the 1998/99 season before the last fixture in April 2018.
Prediction
A new manager can sometimes give a team a real boost in confidence, but it is going to take more than that for Huddersfield Town to escape the trapdoor in the Premier League this season. At least the arrival of Jan Siewert may make the transition from David Wagner a little easier for the players to manage with the new boss also fresh off the Borussia Dortmund II production line.
Siewert has had a few days to get his ideas across to his new team, but Huddersfield Town have to find a major source of goals to have any chance over the next couple of months. The preparation has probably already begun for life back in the Championship after three special seasons under David Wagner, but Siewert has to hope there is some fight left in his players.
This could be a good chance for Huddersfield Town to earn some priceless points as they host an Everton team who have been struggling for consistency. Marco Silva is under pressure and he won't have been helped by a controversial goal awarded to Millwall in their upset win over Everton in the FA Cup Fourth Round on Saturday.
Everton did crush Burnley 1-5 at Turf Moor at the end of last month, but they have been erratic away from home and it is very hard to know what to expect from them. The 5 losses in 6 away games in all competitions have seen Everton go down at Brighton, Southampton and Millwall in their last 3 away games and I do think this is a team that is struggling to perform for the manager.
On a pure talent level Everton should be beating Huddersfield Town easily and the home team have lost 5 in a row in front of their own fans. However I do think Everton are looking just as short as they did in the Cup tie at Millwall and The Terriers have had a few more days to prepare and could have a positive reaction for a new manager.
Ultimately I wouldn't risk too much on this selection because Huddersfield Town are a poor side and Everton have shown flashes of their ability. With that in mind I will back Huddersfield Town with a start to avoid defeat at the very least.
The Statistics :
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The Pick :
Huddersfield Town 1-1 Everton
