On Saturday afternoon, two of the Premier League’s new boys Huddersfield and Newcastle meet at John Smiths Stadium, as the home side look to build on an opening weekend victory.
The two teams experienced mixed fortunes on the opening weekend of the campaign. The Terriers got off to a dream start by winning 3-0 at Crystal Palace, with new signing Steve Mounie scoring a brace.
In contrast, Newcastle suffered a 2-0 home defeat against Tottenham after captain Jonjo Shelvey saw red following a stamp on Spurs midfielder Dele Alli.
The home side are Premier League debutants and have not featured in the top-flight of English football since season 1970/71. Last season the Terriers campaign seemed to drift towards the end, but David Wagner’s side made it to the Premier League via the play-offs.
The dream start against Palace will give the team major confidence heading into their second game of the league campaign. When the two sides met in the league last season, the away side recorded victories, with Newcastle winning this fixture and Huddersfield winning at St James Park.
Newcastle will be keen to bounce back quickly from their opening day defeat. The Magpies will have to do so without the suspended Shelvey. The defeat against Spurs ended a six-game unbeaten run in the top-flight for Rafa Benitez’s side.
The side from the north east’s away record in their last stint in the Premier League was poor. The Magpies had failed to win any of their last 11 games on their travels in the top-flight. Their poor away form was a major contributing factor to relegation.
The Magpies also conceded two or more goals in three of their last four away games in their last Premier League campaign. Everybody connected with the club will be hoping that their team can produce better defensive displays this season on their travels.
Forebet predicts that the Terriers will make it two out of two wins for the season and the Magpies search for their first point back in the top-flight will continue.