After successive defeats, it appears that Huddersfield Giants' late rally for a shot at the Betfred Super League play-offs may be over. But Sunday's clash with Leeds Rhinos may give them one final chance, with a maximum five wins out of five likely needed to give them any hope of being involved in the top six.
They don't have a good record against the Rhinos this season though, with both their narrowest defeat and their biggest hammering coming away to Leeds. Here's everything you need to know about Sunday's action.
Huddersfield Giants v Leeds Rhinos
Where: John Smith's Stadium, Huddersfield.
When: 3pm (BST)
TV: No UK screening
Huddersfield's last five: Lost 8-32 v Salford (Rd 22), Lost 18-32 @ St Helens (Rd 1), Won 28-0 @ Castleford (Rd 21), Won 19-12 v Hull FC (Rd 20), Won 34-6 v Wakefield (Rd 19)
Leeds' last five: Won 24-22 v Warrington (Rd 22), Lost 6-13 v Leigh (Rd 21), Lost 18-22 @ St Helens (Rd 20), Lost 18-19 v Hull KR (Rd 19), Won 16-14 @ Salford (Rd 18)
Betfred match winner odds (80 minutes): Huddersfield 8/13, Leeds 7/5, draw 20/1
Handicap betting (Leeds +4.5): Huddersfield 20/21, Leeds 4/5
Milestones:
Huddersfield's Chris McQueen is on 249 career appearances heading into this one, while Ashton Golding is 100 behind him. Their team-mate Jermaine McGillvary needs one more try for a career 250, and Leeds' Rhyse Martin could make his 100th Rhinos appearance since signing in the summer of 2019.
Previous meetings:
Round 16, 2023: Leeds Rhinos 54, Huddersfield Giants 0
Round 8, 2023: Leeds Rhinos 18, Huddersfield Giants 17
Round 25, 2022: Leeds Rhinos 18, Huddersfield Giants 14
Round 15, 2022: Huddersfield Giants 30, Leeds Rhinos 16
Round 8, 2022: Leeds Rhinos 20, Huddersfield Giants 20
Total Super League meetings: 55 (Huddersfield 13, Leeds 38, four draws)
It's now or never for Ian Watson's Huddersfield. They can now reach a maximum of 28 points, which would appear to be around the threshold of what will get teams into the end-of-season play-offs, so they need to win out to have a serious chance of achieving what was the minimum expectation for the Giants at the beginning of the campaign. A few weeks ago it looked as though Watson had hit upon a winning formula but defeats to St Helens and Salford Red Devils have left them with little chance of a top-six finish.
Leeds are in only a marginally better position, with their narrow win over Warrington keeping the dream of a 2022 repeat alive. Last season they were on the verge of a relegation dogfight but rallied to make the Grand Final, and while their poor early-term form in '23 was not quite so extreme, neither has been their mid-season rally. Rohan Smith will see this one as a must-win.
Sportsman stat: Huddersfield's 13 wins over Leeds in Super League is the joint-lowest total they have achieved against any of the current top-tier sides they've faced on 10 or more occasions. They also have 13 wins against St Helens from 60 attempts.
*18+ | BeGambleAware | Odds Subject to Change
