Huddersfield Town will welcome fellow Yorkshire outfit Sheffield Wednesday to the John Smith's Stadium on Saturday for a crucial contest at the bottom end of the Championship table.
The visitors currently sit 23rd, five points behind their 21st-placed hosts, who head into the game following the departure of former manager Darren Moore.
Match preview
© Reuters
Huddersfield Town head into the weekend aiming to put crucial distance between themselves and the bottom three in the fight for Championship survival this term, having kept narrowly kept themselves out of the drop zone for the majority of the campaign thus far.
From their first 29 games across spells under Neil Warnock and Darren Moore, the Terriers have collected 28 points, managing just five wins in those games, with only basement side Rotherham United winning fewer, while suffering 11 defeats.
The most recent of those triumphs came in style on Boxing Day as the Yorkshire outfit thrashed Blackburn Rovers 3-0 on home turf, but they have since endured another tough run, spelling the end for Moore's tenure in West Yorkshire, having firstly suffered back-to-back defeats at the hands of Middlesbrough and Leicester City before seeing a winless run stretched to five league games in recent weeks.
The Terriers now head into the weekend on the back of three consecutive 1-1 draws, firstly coming from behind to share the points at home to Plymouth Argyle and away at Bristol City thanks to goals from Josh Koroma and Michal Helik respectively, before they most recently travelled to take on fellow strugglers Queens Park Rangers on Sunday and looked set to prevail thanks to Jack Rudoni's goal, only to be pegged back by a Kenneth Paal leveller deep into injury time.
Now under the temporary stewardship of Jon Worthington, Huddersfield Town find themselves just three points clear of the bottom three and five ahead of their 23rd-placed visitors heading into the weekend and will be desperate to extend that cushion with a much-needed return to winning ways on Saturday.
© Reuters
Their visitors, meanwhile, make the short trip to the John Smith's Stadium aiming to reduce that gap and boost their own Championship survival hopes under the management of Danny Rohl.
Following their promotion from England's third tier last time around, Sheffield Wednesday have sat in the bottom three for almost the entirety of the campaign thus far, but an impressive run across December and into the new year saw them move into an encouraging position, culminating in back-to-back victories over Preston North End and Hull City either side of the turn of the year.
That run left the Owls within touching distance of Huddersfield and safety, but they have been unable to build on it in three further attempts since, firstly suffering a 4-0 thrashing away at Southampton before falling to a 2-1 defeat at home to Coventry City.
Then on the back of a 1-1 draw in another meeting with Coventry in the FA Cup last weekend, the South Yorkshire outfit most recently welcomed ninth-placed Watford to Hillsborough on Wednesday and were at least able to add a point to their tally in the game in hand as the contest ended goalless.
Such a result left Sheffield Wednesday five points adrift of safety and two behind 22nd-placed Queens Park Rangers heading into Saturday's crucial contest, and with 17 games left to play, they will bid to reduce the gap to their hosts to just two points with a return to winning ways at the weekend.
Team News
© Reuters
Jon Worthington inherits a Huddersfield Town side with extensive injury issues, as Chris Maxwell, Oliver Turton, Josh Ruffels, Jaheim Headley, Danny Ward, Kian Harratt and Delano Burgzorg are all set to remain confined to the treatment room, while Yuta Nakayama is also out of contention as he is away on international duty for Japan at the Asian Cup.
The Terriers have taken steps to strengthen their squad in January, though, and the attack could again be spearheaded by new arrivals Rhys Healey and Bojan Radulovic with further support from key man Jack Rudoni in an advanced midfield role.
Behind him, fellow new arrival Alex Matos will hope to again get the nod over Ben Wiles to join mainstay Jonathan Hogg in the engine room, while Matty Pearson will bid to rejoin Michal Helik and Tom Lees in a back three after Brodie Spencer featured from the outset away at QPR last time out.
Sheffield Wednesday will remain without Dominic Iorfa and Callum Paterson heading into Saturday's game, as the pair remain sidelined by injuries.
In the ongoing absence of Iorfa, and following their clean sheet against Watford in midweek, Akin Famewo should again join Di'Shon Bernard at the heart of a back four in front of Oxford United loanee James Beadle between the sticks.
Elsewhere, Liam Palmer may again join captain Barry Bannan in the engine room, while Anthony Musaba, Josh Windass and Djeidi Gassama will continue in a supporting trio behind a lone striker with Ike Ugbo, Bailey Cadamarteri and Michael Smith fighting to lead the line.
Huddersfield Town possible starting lineup:
Nicholls; Pearson, Helik, Lees; Thomas, Matos, Hogg, Jackson; Rudoni; Healey, Radulovic
Sheffield Wednesday possible starting lineup:
Beadle; Valentin, Famewo, Bernard, Johnson; Bannan, Palmer; Musaba, Windass, Gassama; Cadamarteri
We say: Huddersfield Town 1-1 Sheffield Wednesday
Saturday's encounter is certainly a true six-pointer in the fight for Championship survival this term, and we anticipate a cagey affair between the Yorkshire rivals.
With both desperate to avoid a harmful defeat, we see a share of the points being the most likely outcome at the John Smith's Stadium.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Sam Varley
