MATCH PREVIEW | SALFORD RED DEVILS | ROUND 10

Check out our Match Preview as we take an in-depth look at our visitors on Friday, Salford Red Devils.

THE STORY SO FAR 📖

Doesn't feel like two minutes since we were watching the Giants cruise into the next round of the Challenge Cup as we breezed past Hull FC the last time we hosted a game at the John Smith's Stadium. - But after a long, and certainly tough run of away games, we find ourselves back home, Salford Red Devils standing in the way of two points.

After a three game league winning run, our momentum was halted with a heartbreaking last minute drop goal from Jonny Lomax at the Totally Wicked Stadium, which saw us fall 13-12 to the Saints, a game which the Giants will look back on as a possible two points dropped.

Adam Swift continued his fine form, scoring a try that was ultimately created by himself and saw us race 0-12 into the lead, perhaps we should have taken advantage of a slow Saints start with more points, but it wasn't to be.

The hard work and commitment was there for all to see, however and cements the Giants place as a team to fear in the Betfred Super League in 2024, and Salford will need to be on their A game to challenge Ian Watson's men, however they arrive full of confidence after a 17-12 victory over Warrington.

THE OPPOSITION 😈

Salford could be considered one of the Giants' 'bogey' teams as of late at the John Smith's Stadium, failing to beat the Red Devils here in the last two occasions.

Ian Watson enjoyed many fine years at the Salford Stadium, and is always a fierce contest when Paul Rowley's reds are in town, with tomorrow promising much of the same.

The Red Devils suffered key losses of players such as Brodie Croft and Andy Ackers in the off-season, but have regrouped and gone again, pulling off some shock results in the league so far, with victories over St Helens and Warrington Wolves added to a list of high profile scalps.

These results show that they can pull off the unexpected, and key players such as Nene MacDonald and Marc Snead will be two to watch tomorrow evening, keep both quiet and you may have a chance.

Currently two points above us in the Betfred Super League, this fixture could be seen as a possible 'four pointer', even this early in the season.

PREVIOUS RESULTS 🔙

Last ten meetings:

Huddersfield 8, Salford 32 (SLR22, 18/8/23)

Salford 42, Huddersfield 40 (CCR6, 20/5/23)

Salford 16, Huddersfield 26 (SLR7, 2/4/23)

Huddersfield 0, Salford 28 (SL-E, 10/9/22)

Salford 33, Huddersfield 16 (SLR23, 13/8/22)

Huddersfield 30, Salford 18 (SLR18, 10/7/22)

(at St James' Park, Newcastle)

Huddersfield 34, Salford 2 (SLR4, 6/3/22)

Salford 18, Huddersfield 12 (SLR19, 13/8/21)

Huddersfield 8, Salford 9 (SLR10, 18/6/21)

Huddersfield 16, Salford 24 (SLR15, 8/10/20)

(at Emerald Headingley, Leeds)

Here, is the 'Opta Stats Pack' for this week's match-up. 📈

● Salford Red Devils have won nine of their last 10 Super League games against Huddersfield Giants at John

Smith’s Stadium including their last two in a row by a combined score of 60-8; in fact, four of the last five

meetings between the teams at the venue have been decided by a margin of 20 points or more on the day.

● Huddersfield Giants have won three of their last four games in the Super League but have lost their last

four straight at home, scoring an average of just 9.5 points per game across those last four games as

hosts.

● Giants have scored 11 tries on the 5th tackle, the only side to reach double figures in this category, whilst

Salford have only scored five tries on the 5th.

● Marc Sneyd (Red Devils) is the leading points scorer (72) in Super League this season, he also has the best

goalkicking accuracy rate (92%) and ranks second for try assists (10).

● Salford’s Tim Lafai has made more tackle breaks (72) than any other player in Super League this season,

his tally of 18 tackle breaks against Tigers in Round 7 remains the most by a player in a game this season

and the most since Regan Grace (St Helens) also made 18 against Toulouse in Round 14 2022.

WHO TO WATCH 👀

• Tim Lafai - Strike centre Lafai is one of the Red Devils' top performers and has picked up where he left off from 2023.
• Ryan Brierley - Former Giant Ryan has become a cult hero in the Red of Salford and will be looking to continue his try scoring form this evening.
• Brad Singelton - Former Wigan prop Brad has recently returned from injury, and will be looking for a big return this evening at the John Smith's.

TICKETING INFORMATION 🎟️

Tickets are on-sale online, from the ticket office and over the phone, ticket prices will rise at 12pm on gameday, so it is advised to pre-purchase your tickets for this game.

BUY YOUR TICKETS HERE!

SQUAD NEWS 💪

Ian Watson has selected his 21-Man Squad which sees the only change as Matty English is replaced by Jack Bibby, the prop suffering an injury in training and he does not make the squad.

LUKE ROBINSON & SAM HALSALL PREVIEW 🗣️

Luke Robinson & Sam Halsall sat down with the media on Thursday to discuss the upcoming game vs Salford, you can watch the interview by clicking below.

WATCH HERE!

WHAT KIT WILL WE WEAR AT THE JOHN SMITH'S STADIUM? 🟠

The Giants are finally back in our traditional Claret and Gold, with a special offer on all three shirts this weekend which you can check out here.

HOW CAN I FOLLOW THE GAME 👇

Giants club social media accounts will also keep supporters updated, with team news, picture and video content during the build up and then match updates throughout the game, the main hub for this is X (Formerly Twitter). Follow us on: Twitter | Facebook | Instagram

Highlights will be available on our YouTube channel 24 Hours after the game, alongside a Full-Match replay on GiantsTV for subscribers to enjoy.

Sky Sports subscribers can watch it live on Sky Sports Arena (7:40PM), as can SuperLeague+ subscribers – Members can save £30 on an annual SuperLeague+ pass, sign up here.