Huddersfield Town hope to pile pressure on promotion chasing Stoke City

It has been just over a year now since the last time Stoke faced Huddersfield at the John Smith’s Stadium in a game most home fans have desperately attempted to get out of their heads.

In this bout, Town will definitely be looking to improve on the last result at home between the sides, for their pride and the fans.

Entering half time at a 1-0 down due to a Sam Vokes tap-in, Huddersfield came out superbly scoring twice in two minutes through Beninese striker Steve Mounie, who has since departed the club, and an own goal from Danny Batth.

However the lead wouldn’t last and Stoke became rampant, firstly equalising through Nick Powell, before Stoke’s emerging star Tyrese Campbell scored twice in quick succession making the game 4-2. The rampage wasn’t finished though as Lee Gregory scored in the dying embers of the game making it 5-2, an emphatic Stoke win.

Embed from Getty Images

In the prior game between the two sides, it was clear that the gap between the sides had somewhat closed in terms of quality. The sides met again in November and the average number of goals in the tie for 2020 remained the same. Seven. Once again though, Stoke would be the winners in the clash.

It would be Carlos Corberán’s side that would take the lead in the tie, Carel Eiting the scorer who at the time just couldn’t stop scoring from inside the ‘D’. Yet again though a Campbell brace would put the side behind making the score 2-1 to the Staffordshire side.

Once again an inform winger would equalise via Isaac Mbenza but for the second tie in a row, Huddersfield would go into half time in a one-goal deficit, Richard Stearman the unlucky culprit as conceded an own goal in the last seconds of the half.

A Sam Clucas goal highlighted Huddersfield’s defensive issues in one goal with a mazy run followed by a good finish. Naby Sarr would score with a header in the 60th minute but a 4-3 result would mean the Potters would beat the Terriers in a seven-goal thriller for the second time in a year.

This has unfortunately been a staple mark of Huddersfield’s season and has led to them having the most amount of goals conceded in the division. It’s a worrying statistic for a Huddersfield side that going forward at times look incredible but injuries continue to ruin the side’s momentum and could have ruined the small chances that Corberán’s men had of reaching the Play-Offs.

Over the course of the season, the West Yorkshire outlet have seen the absences of; Richard Stearman, Lewis O’Brien, Josh Koroma, Carel Eiting and arguably the most important, club captain Christopher Schindler. Interestingly Steven Chicken (@StevenChicken) looked at the effect that the injuries have had specifically on the defensive areas.

In 26 Championship games this season, Huddersfield Town have started with 14 different goalkeeper + centre-back combinations. Surely a massive factor in their defensive struggles but somehow one that hadn't occurred till @DavidHartrick mentioned it on the podcast. pic.twitter.com/46LdV0Fvab

— Steven Chicken (@StevenChicken) January 29, 2021

It is likely we will see the defensive line of Ryan Schofield, Richard Keogh and Sarr with the potential of Alex Vallejo dropping into the defence as we have seen in the past few games for Huddersfield. However, in a pre-match press conference, Carlos hinted at a return to the side, in the coming weeks, for vice-captain Jonathan Hogg.

“Jonathan Hogg’s progression is positive. He will train in part with the group today. He is not available tomorrow, though.”

His return should help a side has lacked the vocal presence around the defence that Hogg provides to this Huddersfield side.

The lineup may well be extremely similar if not the exact same as the one that faced Bristol City on Tuesday night. The first two-thirds of the game for Huddersfield were poor and one of the worst periods under their new Spanish manager, but the last 30 was everything demanded by Carlos.

High pressure, an abundance of shots and a desire to get something out of the game that we haven’t seen on such a level in a while. This is a positive for fans of the Yorkshire side though as it proves that the side at times will look like they will die for the badge.

Stoke, also, are desperate for a result. Winless in all competitions now in eight games, with their last win being in mid-December face the same issue that Huddersfield do albeit that Town have been waiting for five games now for a win.

Stoke’s problem’s started with the injury of Tyrese Campbell and in the window, City have looked to replace him with the loan deals of young Schalke star Rabbi Matondo and ex-Leeds United winger, Jack Clarke.

But neither has made an incredible impact on the side after three games which both Michael O’Neill and Potters fans will be hoping kick start their Stoke careers against a defensively struggling Huddersfield side.

If the prior two games are anything to go from then Saturday’s game has the potential to be another classic but as injuries ravage both squads, a win of any kind both prove crucial to either manager.

Follow us on Twitter @ProstInt