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

sportsmole.co.uk, 24 August 2023, 17:20
Huddersfield Town will entertain Norwich City in the fourth round of Championship fixture on Saturday, with the two sides having experienced differing starts to the new season.

The hosts picked up their first point of the season in an away draw last weekend, while their visitors are unbeaten with two victories and seven points on the board at this early stage.

Match preview

After they escaped the threat of relegation late last season, eventually finishing 18th thanks to a strong end under the stewardship of Neil Warnock, Huddersfield Town again set out to maintain their second-tier status this time around, with Warnock having committed for the full campaign.

The Terriers were certainly handed a difficult run of fixtures to begin the new term, starting with a trip to newly-promoted Plymouth Argyle and falling to a 3-1 loss, before meeting Middlesbrough in the EFL Cup and bowing out of the competition following a 3-2 defeat.

Warnock's side then welcomed Leicester City in their first home game of the league season, and they stood strong to keep the contest goalless until after the hour mark, only for Stephy Mavididi to find the net for the promotion-hopefuls in the 72nd minute and seal a 1-0 away triumph.

Still seeking their first points of the new season, Huddersfield most recently travelled north on Saturday to take on Middlesbrough for the second time this term, and they went ahead at the beginning of the second half, as Sorba Thomas's corner deflected in off Boro defender Dael Fry.

The Terriers did have to settle for a point in that meeting, eventually, though, following Hayden Hackney's leveller, although they can certainly be encouraged by the display away at last season's fourth-placed side, and with the schedule not getting any easier, they will continue their search for a first three-point haul on Saturday.

They meet a Norwich City side who travel to the John Smith's Stadium looking to extend their positive start to the campaign, after a disappointing term last time around, eventually finishing 13th in the Championship under David Wagner's management.

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The Canaries appear to have kicked on significantly in the early stages of the new season, with Wagner now travelling to the side who he led to the Premier League with his new team sat on seven points from three matches, having kicked off with a 2-1 triumph at home to Hull City, thanks to Adam Idah's winner deep into injury time after Jon Rowe had drawn them level on the stroke of half time.

Norwich then travelled to newly-relegated Southampton and again impressed in a particularly eventful contest, having initially gone ahead through Joshua Sargent before falling behind and retaking a 3-2 lead as Gabriel Sara found the net and Rowe again scored at the end of the first period.

After Che Adams levelled the scores once again, Christian Fassnacht made it 4-3 to Wagner's men six minutes from time, only for them to have to share the spoils as the hosts won a penalty deep into injury time which Adam Armstrong converted.

Following a 1-0 cup triumph away at Queens Park Rangers, thanks to Rowe's late winner, Norwich now head into the weekend's trip on the back of another three-point haul in the Championship, as Rowe was again on the scoresheet alongside Sargent and Ashley Barnes in a 3-1 beating of Millwall at Carrow Road, and with Southampton's late equaliser being the only thing between themselves and a perfect start in the Championship, Wagner's men will aim to keep building momentum and make it 10 points from four games with another victory this weekend.

Huddersfield Town Championship form:

Huddersfield Town form (all competitions):

Norwich City Championship form:

Norwich City form (all competitions):

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Team News

Neil Warnock deployed the same starting lineup for their contests against Leicester and Middlesbrough, and we could again see an unchanged XI again on Saturday after the positive result last weekend, with Jack Rudoni and Jonathan Hogg pairing up in the engine room in a 4-2-3-1 setup.

Ahead of them, Josh Koroma, Brahima Diarra and Sorba Thomas will line up in a supporting trio behind a lone front man, with Danny Ward expected to be given the nod again up front, although he does face competition from Kian Harratt and Kyle Hudlin.

Michal Helik and Matty Pearson will continue their partnership in the middle of the defence, with Tom Edwards and Josh Ruffels bound to again start on the right and left-hand sides of the back four respectively.

Norwich City, meanwhile, should certainly come into Saturday's game unchanged from their beating of Millwall last time out, with Joshua Sargent and Ashley Barnes both set to play through the middle in attack after their goals in that victory.

They will be supported by wingers Christian Fassnacht and Jon Rowe, who has scored in each of their four competitive matches so far this term, while Gabriel Sara and Kenny McLean should again partner up in midfield, albeit with competition from Marcelino Nunez.

Andrew Omobamidele is also fighting to return to the starting XI in defence, although Wagner should stick with the pairing of Shane Duffy and Ben Gibson in the middle of the back four, while Jack Stacey has established himself at right-back since his summer arrival from Bournemouth.

Huddersfield Town possible starting lineup:

Nicholls; Edwards, Helik, Pearson, Ruffels; Rudoni, Hogg; Koroma, Diarra, Thomas; Ward

Norwich City possible starting lineup:

Gunn; Stacey, Gibson, Duffy, Giannoulis; Sara, McLean; Fassnacht, Barnes, Rowe; Sargent

We say: Huddersfield Town 1-2 Norwich City

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