Sports Mole previews Saturday’s Championship clash between Huddersfield Town and Birmingham City, including predictions, team news and possible lineups.
With their hopes of avoiding relegation hanging by a thread, Huddersfield Town will do battle with fellow strugglers Birmingham City at the John Smith’s Stadium on Saturday afternoon in the Championship.
The Terriers are on the brink of becoming a League One club after a sobering defeat to Swansea City last weekend, whilst Blues were unable to get the better of Rotherham United last time out.
Match preview
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Huddersfield are potentially 90 minutes away from having their relegation fate sealed following a 4-0 defeat at the John Smith’s Stadium to Swansea last Saturday, when another second-half capitulation sentenced the Terriers to their 18th loss of the Championship season.
Town and the visitors were level heading into the final 20 minutes of the contest but once Jamal Lowe swanned into the hosts’ box and netted the opener, Huddersfield were quick to fall apart, with Ronald Pereira, Jerry Yates and Liam Walsh all getting onto the scoresheet for Luke Williams‘s men.
If the last-minute equaliser conceded at Bristol City the week before was heartbreaking, then the Swansea defeat was a numbing one for those of a Terriers persuasion, with Andre Breitenreiter‘s troops showing a worrying lack of fight once they went behind in the contest.
Heading into the final two matches of the term – and with a final-day trip to Premier League-chasing Ipswich Town looming large – Huddersfield sit 23rd in the Championship table, three points behind Sheffield Wednesday in 21st, meaning that the Terriers will be relegated should they lose to Birmingham.
One of the only survivors from the playoff-final campaign of 2021-22 under Carlos Corberan, Sorba Thomas has provided a rare source of creativity for Huddersfield this season, scoring on four occasions and setting up nine goals for teammates.
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Following a resounding 3-0 victory over FA Cup semi-finalists Coventry City seven days earlier, last weekend’s trip to already-relegated Rotherham was meant to be the afternoon that Birmingham pulled another rabbit out of the relegation hat, preserving their Championship status ahead of a summer of spending under new ownership.
However – never inclined to get their survival business done earlier – Blues were unable to breach Viktor Johansson in the Millers net and had to settle for the most frustrating of points, leaving their fate in the hands of those around them heading into the final two matches.
Gary Rowett‘s men were plunged into the bottom three of the Championship standings on Sunday afternoon, when a piece of terrifyingly-comical goalkeeping from Blackburn Rovers’ Aynsley Pears helped Sheffield Wednesday to a landscape-changing three points in the race for survival.
Alongside the constant changing of managers throughout the season, a wretched away record will be to blame if Birmingham become a third-tier football club for the first time since the 1990s, with Blues managing just three wins and 13 points from 22 Championship outings so far.
Saturday’s visitors will be desperate for a repeat of the reverse fixture between the two sides in October, when John Eustace‘s Birmingham were convincing 4-1 winners over Huddersfield at St Andrew’s @ Knighthead Park, just days before the Blues hierarchy decided to wield the axe on the 44-year-old in order to hire Wayne Rooney.
Huddersfield Town Championship form:
Birmingham City Championship form:
Team News
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Huddersfield are set to be without the services of veteran Jonathan Hogg on Saturday, with the 35-year-old still recovering from a shoulder injury.
The Terriers will also be unable to call upon the talents of centre-back Yuta Nakayama, who is sidelined for the remainder of the season due to a knee injury.
There could be changes for Huddersfield in attack as they look for the victory that would keep their survival dreams alive, with Danny Ward and Rhys Healey potentially earning starts.
Birmingham supporters have been yearning for the return of survival specialist Lukas Jutkiewicz, and the striker is set to make the matchday squad on Saturday after recovering from a knee injury sustained in March.
Oliver Burke was surprise inclusion in the XI at Rotherham last weekend, although there will not be back-to-back appearances for the Werder Bremen loanee, who is now out with a hamstring strain.
After bagging a brace – and giving Huddersfield’s Matthew Pearson nightmares – during the reverse fixture, there is serious clamour for Siriki Dembele to start in Yorkshire, despite the winger last appearing in an XI nearly two months ago.
Rowett has preferred a defensive-midfield duo of Ivan Sunjic and Sunderland-linked Paik Seung-ho in recent matches, cosigning Wales international Jordan James to a spot on the bench.
Huddersfield Town possible starting lineup:
Nicholls; Pearson, Helik, Lees, Spencer; Kasumu, Matos, Thomas, Rudoni, Koroma; Ward
Birmingham City possible starting lineup:
Ruddy; Laird, M Roberts, Bielik, Buchanan; Paik, Sunjic, Miyoshi, T Roberts, Anderson; Stansfield
We say: Huddersfield Town 1-1 Birmingham City
Huddersfield are on the verge of becoming the second team to be confirmed as relegated from the Championship, with the Terriers facing a huge task in saving themselves over the next week.
Birmingham are running out of chances to escape an unthinkable League One fate, and we believe that a draw at the John Smith’s Stadium will leave Blues with it all to do on May 4.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.