Preview: Huddersfield Town vs. Burton Albion - prediction, team news, lineups

Promotion-chasing Huddersfield Town are acceptable to big bottom-of-the-table Burton Albion astatine John Smith's Stadium connected Sunday successful League One.

The Terriers person won back-to-back games up of this play and volition beryllium assured of securing different 3 points, portion the Brewers were leapfrogged by chap strugglers Shrewsbury Town aft they mislaid to top-of-the-table Birmingham City connected Boxing Day.

Match preview

© Imago

Michael Duff's Huddersfield are presently 4th successful League One, having earned 42 points from their 21 matches truthful far, and are 5 points from Wycombe Wanderers successful the automatic promotion places.

Last clip out, the Terriers bushed playoff rivals Stockport County 1-0 astatine location acknowledgment to a first-minute ain extremity from the Hatters' Lewis Bate.

Duff's broadside protected their pb for the full crippled and made it 12 matches unbeaten successful League One, a tally that includes 9 wins and 3 draws, and that means that Sunday's hosts are present the 2nd astir in-form squad successful the division.

It is besides notable that extracurricular of the automatic promotion places and the anomalous Peterborough United, nary squad has scored much than Huddersfield's 35 goals this season.

The past clip that the Terriers faced a relegation-threatened club, they thrashed Cambridge United 4-0 connected December 20, and having dispatched a chap promotion hopeful connected Boxing Day, they volition consciousness susceptible of repeating their triumph implicit Garry Monk's broadside this weekend.

© Imago

Contrastingly, Gary Bowyer's Burton are 24th successful League One, and person picked up conscionable 12 points from their 21 games this term.

The Brewers are a worrying 9 points down Northampton Town, the archetypal squad extracurricular of the relegation zone, and Bowyer, who was appointed earlier this month, has a herculean task connected his hands arsenic helium tries to prevention the nine from the drop.

To marque matters worse, Burton person not benefitted from the 'new manager bounce', and person mislaid each but 1 of their past 5 matches successful each competitions - a 0-0 gully with Leyton Orient connected December 14.

However, adjacent much concerning is that information that Sunday's visitors person won conscionable 2 games each play successful the third-tier, fractional arsenic galore arsenic chap relegation candidates Shrewsbury and Cambridge, and 3 less than 21st-placed Crawley Town.

This weekend, the Brewers volition beryllium hopeless to debar being chopped adrift astatine the ft of the array with what could beryllium their 14th decision of the campaign, though it would beryllium astonishing if they someway managed to debar losing against 1 of the champion sides successful the division.

Huddersfield Town League One form:

Huddersfield Town signifier (all competitions):

Burton Albion League One form:

Burton Albion signifier (all competitions):

Team News

© Imago

After limping disconnected against Lincoln City connected December 14, Huddersfield centre-back Matthew Pearson made his instrumentality to enactment connected Boxing Day with a precocious substitute appearance.

Now that helium is backmost to afloat fitness, brag Duff could opt to enactment Pearson backmost into the XI wherever helium is apt to commencement alongside Michal Helik and Nigel Cello Lonwijk successful the backline.

Elsewhere, wing-back Lasse Sorensen has missed the past mates of games with scar insubstantial irritation from his past hamstring injury, though helium could marque the seat connected Sunday.

As for Burton, caller brag Bowyer decided to enactment up with 5 defenders against the existent league leaders past clip out, and could bash truthful again this play fixed the level of opposition.

With this successful mind, expect Udoka Godwin-Malife, Terence Vancooten, Ryan Sweeney, Jason Sraha and Jack Armer to support goalkeeper Max Crocombe betwixt the sticks.

Huddersfield Town imaginable starting lineup:
Chapman; Pearson, Helik, Lonwijk; Spencer, Wiles, Kasumu, Kane, Koroma; Ward, Marshall

We say: Huddersfield Town 3-0 Burton Albion

Unfortunately for the Brewers, they person not experienced the 'new manager bounce' and person adjacent deed the ft of the table.

ID:561520:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:collect13837:

Previews by email

Click here to get Sports Mole's regular email of previews and predictions for each large game!