Huddersfield Town will welcome Crawley Town to the John Smith’s Stadium on Saturday for an important game at both ends of the League One table.
The hosts will play their first game following the midweek departure of Michael Duff in a bid to return to the playoff places, while their visitors sit 22nd and nine points adrift of safety.
Match preview
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Huddersfield Town return to the John Smith’s Stadium on Saturday with the aim of climbing back into the top six of the League One table, in the midst of a tough run of form and following the departure of Michael Duff.
In their first season under the new manager and their first back in England’s third tier, the Terriers looked set to fight for automatic promotion in the second half of the term, having picked up 48 points from their first 25 outings, but they would go on to drop out of contention early in the new year.
In the 11 games since, they have added just 10 more points to that tally, dropping out of the playoff spots all together as a result, with their most recent triumph coming away at Stevenage at the beginning of March thanks to goals from Callum Marshall and Nigel Lonwijk.
That was followed by a defeat to Wrexham last weekend, before the Terriers most recently visited Bristol Rovers on Tuesday and again left empty-handed as Ruel Sotiriou netted the only goal, spelling the end of Duff’s tenure.
Now sitting seventh with 10 games remaining, two points behind sixth-placed Bolton Wanderers and four behind fifth-placed Stockport County, Huddersfield Town will be desperate to return to form in the coming weeks under the temporary stewardship of Jon Worthington to strengthen their playoff claim in the run-in.
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Their visitors, meanwhile, head to Yorkshire aiming to end their own poor run in their fight at the other end of England’s third tier.
Also in their first season back in League One after winning promotion from the fourth tier last time around, Crawley Town have endured a tough campaign thus far, picking up just 30 points from their 36 games courtesy of seven victories alongside 20 defeats.
The most recent of those wins came in mid-February, and Rob Elliot‘s side have earned just three more points in seven league attempts since, including three straight losses to Blackpool, Cambridge United and Lincoln City.
The Red Devils did then end the losing run in a 1-1 draw with playoff-chasing Reading last weekend, thanks to Panutche Camara‘s injury-time leveller, only to host Charlton Athletic on Tuesday and again fall short as Thierry Small netted the only goal for the visitors.
As a result of their slump, Crawley Town now find themselves 22nd in England’s third tier and nine points adrift of safety with 10 games remaining, and they will hope to keep any survival hopes alive with a crucial return to winning ways on Saturday.
Team News
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Huddersfield Town continue to deal with an unenviable injury list heading into Saturday’s meeting, with defenders Nigel Lonwijk, Matty Pearson, Tom Lees, Mickel Miller and Radinio Balker, midfielder Herbie Kane and attackers Josh Koroma, Danny Ward and Rhys Healey all set to miss out again.
Given those extensive absences, especially in defence, Ollie Turton and Josh Ruffels should again join Brodie Spencer in a makeshift back three.
Elsewhere, Ben Wiles will hope to return from the outset in midfield, likely alongside Joe Hodge and Antony Evans, while Joe Taylor could displace fellow January arrival Dion Charles and partner Callum Marshall up front.
Crawley Town will remain without Joy Mukena and Josh Flint due to injury issues, although they will welcome Rushian Hepburn-Murphy back to contention following the end of his suspension.
Hepburn-Murphy may have to settle for a place on the bench, though, with Will Swan likely preferred in attack with support from Kamari Doyle.
He should operate ahead of a midfield trio of Panutche Camara, Liam Fraser and Max Anderson, while Charlie Barker, Toby Mullarkey and Ben Radcliffe will likely continue in a back three in Flint’s absence.
Huddersfield Town possible starting lineup:
Nicholls; Turton, Spencer, Ruffels; Sorensen, Evans, Hodge, Roosken; Wiles; Taylor, Marshall
Crawley Town possible starting lineup:
Wollacott; Barker, Mullarkey, Radcliffe; Quitirna, Anderson, Camara, Fraser, Kelly; Doyle; Swan
We say: Huddersfield Town 2-1 Crawley Town
Crawley Town do arguably meet Huddersfield Town at a favourable time, given the hosts’ injuries and recent struggles, but the Terriers should still have enough quality to get over the line against the strugglers on home turf.
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