CITY vs HUDDERSFIELD (A) – THE PREVIEW

City will be looking to bounce back from their 1-0 defeat to Sunderland at Carrow Road as they are hosted by relegation-fighting Huddersfield Town tomorrow night.

Both sides come into this game with a 1-0 loss in their last fixtures – Neil Warnock’s side falling to defeat against West Brom at The Hawthorns.

The last time we played Huddersfield at the John Smith’s Stadium there were no fans in attendance due to the country’s COVID-19 laws and we won 1-0 thanks to a goal from Adam Idah. Oh what I’d give for him to finally prove me and many other NCFC punters wrong.

When we met the Terriers earlier in the season we got our first victory – a 2-1 win – in the Championship thanks to goals from Danel Sinani and Josh Sargent.

We also haven’t lost to the Terriers at Carrow Road since December 2016 when we lost 2-1 and have five wins in the last eight meetings alongside two defeats and a draw.

So the past encounters and Huddersfield’s woeful form as of late may swing the odds in our favour but if we deploy a similar gameplan to Sunday, Warnock will be laughing and could get a much-needed result in their survival battle.

When I last wrote a match preview, we were hosting Cardiff and got a convincing 3-0 victory. Not even a month later, there are now only 10 games left and every fixture is a cup final for us. David Wagner has to steer the ship in the right direction.

Against Sunderland, we struggled to break them down. Our style of play was countered superbly by Tony Mowbray’s defensive setup and their danger on counterattacks. But this game is the perfect one to get a big response against weaker opposition.

Huddersfield have been in the relegation dogfight in the Championship for the majority of this season. Many predicted them for a rough campaign but not to this extent – only one place above the foot of the table on goal difference.

The Terriers have one win in their last five games – scoring two and conceding 10 – the one victory coming against Birmingham City.

They are now under the management of Warnock, a man who is synonymous with managing in this division, but it probably says a lot when a retired manager is your best option to keep you up.

PREDICTED LINEUPS:

Max Aarons and Onel Hernandez will be late calls if they are to start or not, but apart from that City have the same players available that featured on Sunday.

As for Huddersfield, Warnock will have the same set of players available but Warnock will give consideration to selecting the same Huddersfield XI which made an impression at The Hawthorns on Saturday.

Matty Pearson is due to be assessed after being used three times in succession after injury, while ex-City loanee Jordan Rhodes may be recalled.

Norwich City (4-2-3-1): Gunn; Aarons, Hanley, Gibson, Giannoulis; McLean, Sorenson; Idah, Hernandez, Sara; Sargent

I expect Wagner to stick with his favoured 4-2-3-1 formation as this seems to be the one we usually operate since his arrival at the club. I’m also expecting two changes from the last starting XI, Jacob Sorenson and Josh Sargent to replace Marcelino Nunez and Teemu Pukki.

I expect Sorenson to provide solidity to the midfield, as he did so well in the 3-2 win away at Millwall.

As I stated in my first piece for MFW, Adam Idah now needs to step up to the plate as his opportunity has arrived. He’s only scored one goal this season and he’s yet to impress so many fans, myself included. Again I’ll mention the new contract he signed, and that this is his last chance to repay his new manager and the fans who doubt him.

Huddersfield Town (4-2-3-1): Vaclik; Pearson, Lees, Helik, Ruffels; Rudoni, Hogg; Koroma, Kasumu, Jackson; Waghorn

I’m expecting no starting XI changes for the Terriers ahead of this game as it’s really their strongest XI possible, and that’s exactly what they’ll need to stand any chance of getting a positive result against us.

They may well have a weaker team on paper but as we have learned through our misfortune, we are more than capable of dropping points in a game like this.

MY PREDICTION:

Given the need to respond to Sunday’s loss at Carrow Road and the gap in quality between the sides, I see us winning this one.

Both teams have big reasons to win. Huddersfield will close in on safety with a win or a draw, but our players have to prove to the fans they are capable of a late promotion push to stand any chance of getting into the playoff spots, let alone going to the Premier League.

At the same time, we may well drop points as we have had so many up-and-down periods as of late but I think the gap in quality will play a big factor in making sure we get all three. Hopefully, the players have that same attitude.

The 1100 away fans need to be bouncing for this fixture. I’m hoping that the “City Elite” will be there with their drum as I strongly believe it enhances the matchday atmosphere and gives our players an extra incentive to go out and win.

So given all of that, I reckon we’ll win 3-1. But for all we know, our old pal Warnock could pull off a tactical masterclass and frustrate our team just like Sunderland did. Or that doesn’t happen and we blow them away.

So, would you make any changes to my starting XI? And do you fancy City picking up all three points on Wednesday night?

Let me know in our comment section below.