Preview: Castleford Tigers vs Huddersfield Giants – prediction, team news, lineups

Fresh from giving the Wigan Warriors a serious run for their money, Castleford Tigers return to action this Thursday night as they host the Huddersfield Giants at the Mend-A-Hose Jungle.

While the Tigers were just minutes away from pulling off the biggest shock of the Super League season last week, the Giants were thumped in France by the Catalans Dragons as they returned to their losing ways.

Match preview

Following a season full of underwhelming home performances, Castleford Tigers gave their fans a pleasant surprise as they pushed the defending champions to the absolute limit last weekend.

The Tigers enjoyed a two-point lead heading into the final three minutes of the match but could not hold on for a famous win as the Warriors battled back in thrilling fashion.

Despite a much-improved home performance, Castleford boss Danny McGuire was clearly irked by a number of refereeing decisions that went against his team, leading him to steal the headlines by berating officiating standards in the competition.

As the head coach prepares for a grilling from the RFL’s compliance department, his men will be looking to turn an improved performance into a victory as they prepare for their third successive home fixture.

Speaking of improved performances, Huddersfield appeared to be heading in the right direction following a couple of close defeats to the Leigh Leopards and Wigan, and their confidence-boosting victory away at Warrington Wolves.

Instead of capitalising on their newly found momentum, the Giants seemingly crumbled and delivered a woeful display against an out-of-form Catalans Dragons side, coming away with a 32-0 defeat.

The result not only marked Huddersfield’s fifth defeat in six games, but it was also the second time in as many months that the Giants failed to score.

On paper, scoring points away at Castleford should not pose a problem considering the Tigers have the worst home defence in the league. Then again, only Salford have scored fewer points on the road than the Giants, meaning we should be in for an intriguing clash this Thursday night.

Castleford Tigers form: LLWLL

Huddersfield Giants form: LWLLL

Team News

The big news from the Castleford Tigers camp concerns Liam Horne, who will miss the next six matches after being found guilty of a Grade E charge during Tuesday’s RFL tribunal.

Castleford included Horne in their 21-man squad ahead of the tribunal, but they will now have to exclude the Papua New Guinea international from their plans for the foreseeable future.

In better news for the Tigers, Fletcher Rooney has been named in the squad, though he may only get limited minutes after coming back from a thigh injury.

Huddersfield Giants, meanwhile, have been boosted by the return of Adam Swift and Oliver Wilson, with both players completing their recovery from injury.

Aidan McGowan and Connor Carr make way for the returning duo, while Sam Hewitt also misses out following his failed head injury assessment a fortnight ago.

Loanee Matt Frawley is named in the squad and should feature, with the Leeds Rhinos man expected to give Tui Lolohea some help in the halves.

Castleford Tigers predicted lineup: Cini, Simm, I Senior, L Senior, Wood, Asi, Milnes, Amone, Singleton, Lawler, Stimson, Westerman, Hall; Atkin, Griffin, Okoro, Rooney

Huddersfield Giants predicted lineup: Flanagan, Swift, Milne, Halsall, Bibby, Lolohea, Frawley, King, Woolford, Powell, Greenwood, Rushton, Cudjoe; Burgess, Golding, English, Wilson

We say: Castleford Tigers 24-20 Huddersfield Giants

What a tough game to call. Castleford delivered a tremendous performance against Wigan last week, but their inconsistent nature does raise questions.

Huddersfield, meanwhile, lost all their momentum away in France following a woeful performance. With that in mind, we are backing Castleford to utilise home advantage and win a very close encounter.

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