- Harrogate finished strongly in EFL League Two despite relegation, beating Walsall and Colchester in their last five competitive games.
- Solihull's form was mixed in late 2025/26, but Chris Millington has made them more compact and resilient.
- Solihull Moors have won nine, Harrogate six and four have been drawn in 19 meetings since 2008.
Harrogate to have the edge in early-season battle
National League football returns to England this Saturday and newly relegated Harrogate Town will take on steady Solihull Moors in a game that has the potential to be a proper early-season test at EnviroVent Stadium. The two clubs have played each other 19 times since 2008, with Solihull edging the head-to-head record 9-6, with four draws.
Simon Weaver's side are the clear favourites for this clash, priced at 11/25, with the draw at 31/10 and away win at 261/50. The odds look a little short on the hosts given their summer of transition and the fact that Solihull finished as a solid mid-table team in the National League last season. Solihull came in 14th in 2025-26 with 56 points from 46 games.
Harrogate's form looks mixed over their last five competitive games, but they ended with a 2-0 home win over Walsall and a 1-0 away victory at Colchester, so the squad was not just waiting for the season to end in the summer. Weaver has kept the team adaptable and aggressive, typically playing in a 4-2-3-1 or 4-3-3 shape and always looking to press and play forward.
Solihull's pre-season performances looked sharper as they went along, starting with a 1-1 draw with League One Burton Albion, before two wins over Hednesford and Hereford. Chris Millington has improved their shape and structure, while they have a livewire in Ben Worman who scored in pre-season. Joe Sbarra will bring some quality to their midfield and Corey Addai is a reliable last line, so they could be the sort of team to hold up Harrogate for long periods.
Goals and pressure to flow on both sides
Harrogate's pre-season has been about getting the new players in and the old ones back together after the trauma of relegation. The Sulphurites are an adaptable team that likes to push forward in transition and they have some real bite in the final third with Stephen Duke-McKenna and Jack Muldoon their two biggest creative threats. Reece Smith can be the spark between the lines to get them there and there is enough about Harrogate to suggest they are likelier to edge a result in this clash. However, Solihull should be compact and disciplined, pressing in a more controlled and selective manner, so it could become a regains-and-breaks affair. The BTTS & Over 2.5 goals markets look attractive in the 81/100 and 7/10 region, but this fixture has rarely turned into a romp and it won't on Saturday either. Backing the hosts to come through with a win in the full-time result market is probably the play here, but given Harrogate and the history of this fixture, it should be a competitive opener rather than a free hit with a 1-1 type draw also possible.
