It has been a miserable season for Huddersfield Giants and they could be in for another difficult evening when welcoming Bradford Bulls to the Accu Stadium on Friday.
Things are going from bad to worse for Huddersfield, who suffered their 15th defeat of the Super League season at Magic Weekend.
The Giants were beaten 36-24 by York Knights at the Hill Dickinson Stadium last Saturday as they slumped to a 10th defeat on the spin on Merseyside.
Magic was anything but for Bradford, either. The Bulls were the latest club to feel the full force of Super League leaders Leeds Rhinos in a 50-16 hiding on day two of rugby league's annual awayday.
Only Huddersfield are below the Bulls in the Super League table, so both of these Yorkshire rivals will be desperate for some solace when they meet at the Accu Stadium on Friday night.
Huddersfield Giants v Bradford Bulls Tips Summary
Best Bet - Bradford Bulls to win @ 10/11
Alternative Bet - Caleb Aekins anytime tryscorer @ 7/4
Bet Builder - Bradford +2 on handicap, Ethan Ryan anytime tryscorer & over 54.5 points @ 5/1
Huddersfield Giants v Bradford Bulls Prediction
Best Bet: Bradford Bulls @ 10/11
Bradford are one of the clubs Huddersfield are aiming to overtake in the final third of the Super League season as they attempt to avoid the ignominy of finishing bottom.
It's been a disastrous campaign for the Giants, who had to deal with a host of injuries in the early rounds and then sacked head coach Luke Robinson at the end of April.
Jim Lenihan, who played 21 times for Huddersfield during the 1999 season, was drafted in as Robinson's replacement in May but he has yet to win a game as boss.
Indeed, Huddersfield's only two wins this season, a stunning win at Wigan and home success over York, came under the guidance of interim boss Liam Finn following Robinson's dismissal.
Last weekend's 36-24 loss to York at Magic Weekend was Huddersfield's 10th on the spin and it is hard to understand why they are favourites to beat Bradford, albeit the Bulls are no great shakes themselves.
Bradford have lost their last four but they were all against top-eight sides and Huddersfield are a long way off being of that calibre.
The Bulls have generally done well against sides of a similar quality, so they look a value bet to replicate their 26-14 win over the Giants at Odsal in March.
Alternative Bet: Caleb Aekins anytime tryscorer @ 7/4
Full-back Caleb Aekins has been a bright spot for Bradford in recent weeks.
The Wales international has scored three tries in the Bulls' last four matches and has looked especially dangerous when chiming into the three-quarters close to the line.
Bradford should get far more opportunities to post points on Friday than they did against Leeds at Magic Weekend, and Aekins looks overpriced to breach the worst defence in the top flight.
Huddersfield Giants v Bradford Bulls Bet Builder Tip
Bradford +2 on handicap
Ethan Ryan anytime tryscorer
Over 54.5 points
Pays 5/1
Nothing Huddersfield have done this season has suggested they should be favourites to win any Super League match, so backing Bradford with a narrow handicap start appeals as the first leg of our Bet Builder.
Wingers Jon Bennison and David Nofoaluma scored three of York's seven tries in their Magic Weekend win over Huddersfield, so Bradford flyer Ethan Ryan, who has scored 10 league tries this term, should fancy his chances of getting on the scoresheet at the Accu Stadium.
Finally, take a punt on this being fairly high-scoring. Forecast temperatures in the low 30s will make for an energy-sapping encounter and these two have conceded more than 1,000 points between them in Super League this year.
Learn more about how Bet Builders work in our Bet Builder guide.
Key Match Stats
Huddersfield Giants have lost 15 of their 17 Super League games this season
Heading in to round 18, Huddersfield had the worst attack (263 points scored) and defence (539 conceded) in Super League
Bradford winger Ethan Ryan has scored 10 Super League tries this season
Huddersfield have conceded at least 30 points in eight of their last 10 defeats
Huddersfield are bottom of the Super League table on four points
Bradford are in 13th, one place and six points above the Giants
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This article was written by a partner sports writer via Spotlight Sports Group. All odds displayed on this page were correct at the time of writing and are subject to withdrawal or change at any time.
