Clarets to be singing the blues on opening night
The EFL Championship season comes early in 2022/2023, with the opening weekend in July because of the impact on the football calendar the men's World Cup in Qatar this winter has had. Huddersfield Town welcome relegated Burnley across the Pennines to the John Smith's Stadium on Friday night, with both sides sporting new men in their respective dugouts. Read our preview here:
No Josh-ing around
Danny Schofield takes permanent charge of the Terriers after two previous short stints as caretaker, with the XI he's likely to name having a very familiar look and feel to last season's play-off campaigners. One player who will miss out is Matty Pearson, having been injured in a pre-season game. Josh Koroma is nailed on to start more games this term on the right of an attacking midfield trio, and will look to cut inside frequently to rattle off some long shots to test the new look visitors' backline.
In exalted Kompany
The two major stories of the summer at Turf Moor have been the departures of several key individuals to Premier League outfits and the appointment of Manchester City legend Vincent Kompany to his first managerial gig in England. It promises to be an intriguing term under his stewardship, but he must find a way to add strength in depth to the squad whilst realising the financial realities of second tier football. The Clarets are particularly light out wide, but still have the likes of Ashley Barnes and Jay Rodriguez up top, whilst the exciting Scott Twine has been recruited from Milton Keynes Dons.
Betting tip
The trajectory for both clubs' fortunes could sharply contrast by the end of the season. Burnley have the talent but not the numbers or cohesion yet, whilst few are predicting a repeat of the top-six finish achieved by Huddersfield Town. That said, this could be a good time to play the visitors, and bet365 have odds of 2.90 for the opening salvo in a division stacked with Lancashire and Yorkshire teams to go the way of Friday's White Rose hosts.
