Huddersfield Town and Luton Town played out a very controversial 1-1 draw at Kenilworth Road on Friday evening.

The Terriers had the joint second strongest home record in the Championship this season, just one point behind Fulham and Bournemouth, who were tied for first on that measure.

Carlos Corberan's men took the lead through Danel Sinani with a well-worked move in the opening exchanges of the first leg and will be looking for a similar start at the John Smith's Stadium this evening.

The Hatters may sit a little deeper than they did on their home patch, and that could pose problems for the Terriers to deal with in transition.

Adrian Clarke explained how he sees the game playing out when he appeared on The Totally Football League Show.

He said: "I think it will be quite cagey, because they're locked together at one apiece.

"That first goal is going to be really important.

"Huddersfield are fast-starters, so Luton have got to be ready in that first 15 or 20 minutes just to quieten the crowd, if they can get through that, then maybe they can work their way towards nicking a 1-0 in the second half.

"In Cornick, they've got a guy who can break quickly, he's got pace, I thought Cameron Jerome played pretty well (in the first leg), he unsettled defenders at times, so I don't think there's that much of a need to rush back Adebayo if he's not quite right, those two can do some damage.

"I make Huddersfield marginal favourites."

The Terriers rightfully take the favourites tag, but the Luton Town fairytale cannot be written off just yet and Nathan Jones will have devised a sophisticated plan to give the Hatters the best chance of progression.

The Verdict

 

 

Extra time and penalties, if needed, have not yet been required in the EFL play-offs this season, however this evening's tie possibly feels like the most likely so far to lead to them, having been the only first leg to end in a draw.

It will be interesting to see if Sorba Thomas, Levi Colwill or Matty Pearson are able to play any part after missing out at Kenilworth Road, with set piece situations expected to be vital once again in an evenly matched affair.

Luton have the neutral support behind them, but that may not be felt immediately as the Terriers walk out in front of their buoyant home support.

Both sides have put together tremendous seasons regardless of tonight's result and will fancy their chances of upsetting the odds again in the near future.