Promotion playoff final: How to watch Huddersfield vs Nottingham Forest, preview, odds

By Andy EdwardsMay 29, 2022, 9:40 AM EDT

The 20th and final place in the 2022-23 Premier League will be awarded when Huddersfield Town and Nottingham Forest meet in the EFL Championship promotion playoff final at Wembley Stadium on Sunday (live, 11:30 am ET).

[ MORE: Leeds sign USMNT attacker Brenden Aaronson ]

On one side, Huddersfield were in the Premier League not so long ago (relegated in 2019, after two seasons). The first two seasons back in the Championship were rather unkind to the Terriers, as they slumped to 18th- and 20th-place finishes, uncomfortably close to the prospect of relegation for a recent Premier League side.

Since firing David Wagner, who guided Huddersfield into the Premier League during his three-year stay at the club, the January before being relegated, Huddersfield went through two more managers in 12 months’ time before landing on Spaniard Carlos Corberan in the summer of 2020.

[ MORE: USMNT upcoming schedule – World Cup, Nations League, friendlies ]

On the other side, Nottingham Forest have become the fairytale story of a once-great giant, before falling on hard times, rising once again as they shoot for promotion back to the top flight for the first time since 1999. The Reds were back-to-back European champions in 1979 and 1980, right on the heels of their first (and still only) English top-division title in 1978, to go with a pair of back-to-back League Cup triumphs at the start (1978 and 1979) of Brian Clough’s famous run, before doing it again a decade later (1989 and 1990).

Within three years, Nottingham Forest were relegated from the top flight for the first of four times over 12 years, the last from which they’re still trying to find their way back. Forest spent three seasons in League One from 2005 to 2008, and they’re hoping that their 14th try in the Championship will be the one that sees them back to where they believe they belong.

How to watch Championship promotion playoff final

Kickoff: 11:30 am ET, Sunday
Online: ESPN+

Betting odds – Huddersfield Town vs Nottingham Forest

(Full odds provided by our partner, PointsBet)

Huddersfield (+140) | Nottingham Forest (-180)

PointsBet is our Official Sports Betting Partner and we may receive compensation if you place a bet on PointsBet for the first time after clicking our links

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USMNT: Morris injured; Yedlin, Holmes, Gooch make highlight reel (video)

By Nicholas MendolaFeb 20, 2021, 12:28 PM EST

Americans have been quite busy Saturday in Europe.

One USMNT player sprung a goal with a terrific pass, another struck a sweet goal, and a third scored a brace in a game that saw a fourth stretchered off the pitch.

[ MORE: Three things from Saints – Chelsea ]

Lynden Gooch, Duane Holmes, and DeAndre Yedlin were the producers, while Swansea City sub Jordan Morris is the injured man.

And, sadly, that injury is a major concern for both Swans and his parent club Seattle Sounders.

Morris hurt as Holmes shines

Let’s start with that lone dour note, as Sounders loanee Morris subbed into the match for Swans at halftime. He not only saw Swans go down 4-1 thanks in large part to a Holmes brace, but then left the match injured with his team having used all five subs.

Morris went down and his left leg was put in a brace before he was put onto a stretcher to leave the pitch at Huddersfield Town. His right knee featured the ACL he tore in early 2018.

Holmes’ two goals featured a beauty, as the ex-Derby County man dribbled out from the left wing and sent an arrow from way downtown that Freddie Woodman’s left hand clawing through air.

Fourth-place Swans are on 56 points fail to move into the top two with the loss, though they still have two matches-in-hand on Brentford and Watford sides who boast 57.

Incredible American Goal. Duane Holmes of Columbus, Georgia shoots like LeBron from the logo. His second of the game for Huddersfield in English Championship 👀🚀🇺🇸pic.twitter.com/7U0C5k8Z5o

— roger bennett (@rogbennett) February 20, 2021

Yedlin’s outstanding ball sets up Kilinc goal

DeAndre Yedlin made his first Galatasaray start on Saturday after moving from Newcastle and debuting with two sub stints at right back.

He’s already made a huge difference in Gala taking a 1-0 lead at Alanyaspor.

Yedlin sprung Emre Kilinc with a tremendous diagonal ball in the 18th minute, an aesthetically-pleasing wonder from his own half.

Kilinc needed a rebound to finish the opportunity so Yedlin may not collect an assist unless there’s a kind-hearted scorekeeper, but wow.

There are a couple more Premier League connections in Gala’s lineup Saturday, with ex-Spurs man Gedson Fernandes and former Everton prospect Henry Onyekuru in the visitors’ 4-1-4-1.

GOAL FOR GALATASARAY!

The visitors take a 1-0 lead as EMRE KILINC scores.#ALNvGS FOR FREE ⬇️
📺💻📱 – beIN SPORTS XTRA: https://t.co/l9ui33GcoB pic.twitter.com/496I7OwDWm

— beIN SPORTS USA (@beINSPORTSUSA) February 20, 2021

Gooch stuns with 19-yard rocket

It’s easy to lose track of Lynden Gooch at Sunderland, as he’s remained faithful to the downtrodden Black Cats all the way into League One.

The California native, now 25, is four seasons removed from making 11 appearances for Sunderland in their relegation from the Premier League.

He had a goal and four assists in the 2017-18 season that saw Sunderland drop a league again, and has 18 goals and 16 assists in two-and-a-half League One seasons following his latest delicious strike.

Gooch collected his third goal to go with five assists this season, digging this ball out from between his pegs to smash Sunderland into sixth place in a 3-0 win at Burton Albion.

The Black Cats are as close to 16th as they are to an automatic promotion place, so Gooch and Co. need more of this to get back to the Championship. If not, will the American take the prime of his career elsewhere, or stay faithful to the club that launched his European career in 2012?

Gooch #safc 2-0 up 🤘 pic.twitter.com/eMHBeS0wli

— Sunderland ‘Til I Die 🔙🆙🔜 (@1973mackem) February 20, 2021

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How did home teams fare Saturday in fans return to Football League?

By Nicholas MendolaDec 6, 2020, 8:23 AM EST

Photo by JULIAN FINNEY/POOL/AFP via Getty Images

More than a dozen matches around England saw the return of fans Saturday, and reports of increased intensity were no surprise.

Our Joe Prince-Wright was at one of those matches, Chelsea’s 3-1 defeat of Leeds, and said the overriding emotions were of comfort and normalcy.

[ MORE: Lampard on Pulisic goal, Chelsea’s title hopes ]

Was it in the players’ heads at all? Whether psychological or not, comments around the Football League system showed that fans’ presence lived inside the players’ and coaches’ heads in a mostly positive way (aside from a very unsavory racist incident at Millwall).

Premier League — Home teams 1W-1L

No surprises here in terms of results, where two of the traditional big boys took care of business with relatively dominant wins (though Man United needed a comeback at West Ham).

Chelsea 3-1 Leeds United — JPW noted the feelings around Stamford Bridge during the contest in his live analysis, as well as comments from Olivier Giroud, Frank Lampard, and Marcelo Bielsa acknowledging the influence of the crowd.

West Ham United 1-3 Manchester United — The Irons gave their fans an early lead but not much else, as Bruno Fernandes gave a master class in super subbery to lead a three-goal second half.

Marcus Rashford was buoyed by the win but also by the fans. From ManUtd.com:

“Brilliant. It is something that everybody knows the game has missed and it is what makes the game so special,” Rashford said.

Championship — Home teams 2W-1D-2L

Both of the winning home teams were top-end sides hosting teams in the lower half, but both winning visitors entered the day at least seven points behind their hosts. Blackburn and Brentford were the two nearest opponents, table wise, and the visitors scored their equalizer despite being down a man.

Watford 0-1 Cardiff City — The visitors surprised the hosts, and the Vicarage Road crowd had the Bluebirds hoping to see fans in their building soon.

“It was a great boost having fans here and I am really pleased for them, it was nice to play in a stadium with some atmosphere. Having seen the noise 2000 fans can make, it would be great to have fans back at the Cardiff City Stadium,” said manager Neil Harris.

Reading 2-0 Nottingham Forest

Brentford 2-2 Blackburn — 10-man visitors come back from 2-1 deficit to draw in 87th minute.

Millwall 0-1 Derby County — Ugly scenes as fans booed the players taking a knee in support of Black Lives Matter, then saw their Lions lose late.

Norwich City 2-1 Sheffield Wednesday — The Canaries came back through two late goals for the 2000 fans at Carrow Road, and Daniel Farke was happy to see them.

“It was great to at least have 2,000 yellow shirts here. I celebrated with our supporters because they also played their part during difficult periods in the game, they were unbelievably noisy,” Farke said.

League One — Home teams 1D-2L

Like the Championship, the winning visitors were both above the hosts on the table and both hosts didn’t aid their cause by seeing men sent off. In the case of Ipswich Town (and Hull City’s draw at Oxford United), there was a significant table advantage for the visitors.

Northampton Town 0-2 Doncaster Rovers — An 18th-minute red card for the hosts helped deny any home field advantage over 90 minutes.

Oxford United 1-1 Hull City — The U’s led 1-0 but gave up a late equalizer to the table-topping visitors.

Plymouth Argyle 1-2 Ipswich Town — The hosts led 1-0 but saw a man sent off in the 70th minute and conceded twice in the next four minutes.

League Two — Home teams 1W-4L

Oldham sprung a bit of a surprise on Cambridge United and Walsall also scored a minor upset at Tranmere Rovers, but the wins for visitors Salford City and Forest Green Rovers were over teams well below them on the table. Hosts Colchester United were expected to beat Grimsby Town, too.

Barrow 0-1 Salford City

Cambridge United 1-2 Oldham Athletic

Harrogate Town 0-1 Forest Green Rovers

Tranmere Rovers 1-3 Walsall

Colchester United 2-1 Grimsby Town

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West Brom buys $19M Grant from Huddersfield Town (video)

By Nicholas MendolaOct 15, 2020, 5:24 PM EDT

West Bromwich Albion has added another young attacker in a bid to fire its way to Premier League safety.

Karlan Grant is the latest purchase, the 23-year-old arriving from Huddersfield Town for a reported $19 million ahead of the Baggies’ Monday visit from Burnley (Watch live at 12:30 pm ET on NBCSN and online via NBCSports.com).

Grant has some Premier League experience, scoring four times with an assist in 13 appearances after arriving at Town midway through the 2018-19 season.

[ MORE: World Cup qualifying state of play ]

He stayed with the Terriers into the Championship, where he scored 19 times with four assists in 43 matches last season. One of those goals came against Slaven Bilic’s Baggies.

“We are confident we have signed a young player who has proved he is ready for the challenges of the Premier League,” said West Brom technical and sporting director Luke Dowling. “He has scored goals throughout his career including the few months he had with Huddersfield at this level two years ago.”

The Baggies have also signed Grady Diangana, Matheus Pereira, Branislav Ivanovic, Callum Robinson, Filip Krovinovic, Conor Gallagher, Cedric Kipre and David Button this transfer window.

West Brom has just one point through four PL matches, scoring five times and conceding 13.

With Burnley, Brighton, and Fulham next on the league docket before Tottenham and Manchester United, the Baggies have to collect some points soon.

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Former Huddersfield Town boss, USMNT striker Wagner fired by Schalke

By Nicholas MendolaSep 27, 2020, 7:45 AM EDT

Photo by Tim Rehbein/picture alliance via Getty Images)

Lopsided defeats to Bayern Munich and Werder Bremen have cost former USMNT striker David Wagner his job as Schalke boss.

Wagner, 48, was fired Sunday after his league unbeaten run as Schalke manager reached 18 matches through a 3-1 loss to Bremen.

[ MORE: Latest Bundesliga news ]

Schalke gave Wagner a little more time to right the ship after wobbling without a win over the final 16 matches of the 2019-20 season, going from fifth to 12th.

From a Schalke release:

“We had all hoped that we could improve on the pitch together with David Wagner. Unfortunately, we haven’t seen the right performances and results from the first two games of the season for this to happen,” explained Jochen Schneider, Head of Sport. “We have therefore decided to make a fresh start. Despite the disappointing results, this wasn’t an easy decision for us to make. I would like to thank David Wagner, Christoph Bühler and Frank Fröhling, who, up until their departure, have done everything they can to get Schalke back on track.”

The eight-times capped Wagner began his coaching career with good friend Jurgen Klopp and took his first managerial position at Borussia Dortmund II.

He was then hired by Huddersfield Town and led the Terriers to the Premier League, keeping them in the top flight for one season before leaving the club midway through their relegation-bound second season.

Hired in May 2019, Wagner and Schalke was third after 13 weeks last season, having drawn Revierderby rivals Dortmund and beaten RB Leipzig. But they sunk quickly and had a run of eight matches in which they scored just two goals.

It’s worth monitoring what’s next for Wagner. Back to the Terriers or a Championship side to test his promotion prowess? 2.Bundesliga for that matter?

His star might have appeared to dip due to this run but Schalke has had to deal with significant financial upheaval and sent Weston McKennie to Juve on a loan-to-buy and Daniel Cagliari to Augsburg. Young goalkeeper Alexander Nubel was also sold to Bayern and the only incoming moves were for Vedad Ibisevic and Goncalo Pacienca.

Another thing to note will be whether this is a positive or negative for young American midfielder Nick Taitague, who has battled injuries but had received first team training. The 20-year-old attacking midfielder has one goal in 10 appearances for Schalke II.

Follow @NicholasMendola

How to watch Championship promotion playoff final

Betting odds – Huddersfield Town vs Nottingham Forest

(Full odds provided by our partner, PointsBet)

Latest Premier League news

Morris hurt as Holmes shines

Yedlin’s outstanding ball sets up Kilinc goal

Gooch stuns with 19-yard rocket

More USMNT news

Premier League — Home teams 1W-1L

Championship — Home teams 2W-1D-2L

League One — Home teams 1D-2L

League Two — Home teams 1W-4L

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