Preview: Huddersfield Town vs. Cardiff City - prediction, team news, lineups

The hosts climbed to 18th spot in the Championship table with an important victory over Queens Park Rangers on Saturday, while their visitors are only three points better off in 11th spot following their defeat to Blackburn Rovers.

Match preview

Huddersfield Town head into Tuesday's game looking to make it two victories in a four-day span on home turf after picking up their first three-point haul of Darren Moore's tenure.

He took charge last month following Neil Warnock's departure, with the Yorkshire outfit sat on eight points from seven games on the back of a pair of victories and a draw with Stoke City, and Moore would oversee an extension of their unbeaten run with back-to-back 1-1 draws against Coventry City and Ipswich Town in his first two games at the helm.

A first defeat under Moore would then follow as the Terriers were thrashed 4-1 away at Birmingham City, with Michal Helik's injury-time goal nothing more than a consolation, before a goalless stalemate away at basement side Sheffield Wednesday saw them head into the October international break with 11 points on the board from 11 games and without a win in four matches under their new boss.

They set out to end that wait on their return to action at the weekend in a crucial meeting with 22nd-placed Queens Park Rangers in West Yorkshire, and the Terriers enjoyed a dream start, going 2-0 up through Kian Harratt and Jack Rudoni inside 15 minutes before eventually holding on for all three points from a 2-1 triumph after Jake Clarke-Salter pulled one back for their visitors on the stroke of half time.

Such a result saw Huddersfield Town move six points clear of the relegation zone and up to 18th spot in England's second tier, and they will aim to continue their climb up a tight mid-table and build further confidence with another victory on Tuesday.

They welcome a Cardiff City side who travel to Yorkshire aiming to arrest a dip in form after enjoying a fine start to the season under new management.

After finishing 21st in the Championship last season, just five points clear of relegation, the Welsh outfit tasked Erol Bulut with leading them into the new term with the aim of preserving their second-tier status in more comfortable fashion, and that certainly went to plan in the early stages as they sat on 16 points from the opening nine outings.

That start culminated in a run of four consecutive league wins, including a 2-0 beating of South Wales rivals Swansea City, but the streak was then halted by a 2-0 defeat away at in-form Middlesbrough, before they headed into the second break of the season on the back of a 1-1 draw at home to Watford, having gone ahead through Mark McGuinness before being pegged back by Vakoun Issouf Bayo's second-half leveller.

Aiming to mark their return to action with a return to winning ways, Bulut's men most recently travelled to Ewood Park to take on Blackburn Rovers on Saturday, but they had to leave empty-handed following a 1-0 defeat as Joe Rankin-Costello netted the only goal of the game soon after the interval.

Now quickly on their travels again, having dropped to 11th spot following their dip in form, Cardiff City will look to bounce back on Tuesday and close the gap to the playoff places once again with what would be their sixth Championship win of the season.

Huddersfield Town Championship form:

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Cardiff City Championship form:

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Cardiff City form (all competitions):

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Team News

Darren Moore should deploy an unchanged Huddersfield side from their win over QPR at the weekend, with Kian Harratt bound to again lead the line having marked his return to the starting XI with their opening goal.

He should again partner Delano Burgzorg up front, with Josh Koroma and Sorba Thomas offering further threat in attacking wing-back roles.

Ben Wiles returned to the midfield at the weekend and should again join Jack Rudoni and Jonathan Hogg, while Tom Lees is also bound to keep his place in the back three alongside Michal Helik and Matty Pearson.

Erol Bulut has several injury issues to contend with in his Cardiff City squad, with talismanic midfielder Aaron Ramsey still sidelined alongside winger Callum O'Dowda and attacker Kion Etete, although Yakou Meite was fit to feature off the bench on Saturday after his own layoff.

With Ramsey confined to the treatment room, we will see an unchanged midfield trio of Emmanouil Siopis, Ryan Wintle and captain Joe Ralls for the Bluebirds, while there is more competition for places in attack.

Ike Ugbo led the line on Saturday, having netted three league goals since his summer arrival from Troyes, with Karlan Grant and Josh Bowler deployed on the wings, but Callum Robinson, Ollie Tanner and Meite will all fight to come in from the outset after making substitute appearances.

Huddersfield Town possible starting lineup:

Nicholls; Pearson, Helik, Lees; Thomas, Rudoni, Hogg, Wiles, Koroma; Burgzorg, Harratt

Cardiff City possible starting lineup:

Alnwick; Ng, McGuinness, Goutas, Colins; Wintle, Ralls, Siopis; Meite, Ugbo, Grant

We say: Huddersfield Town 1-1 Cardiff City

Huddersfield Town will certainly take confidence from the weekend's home victory and have a chance to make it back-to-back three-point hauls against a Cardiff side who have lost momentum.

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