Darren Moore will oversee his first home game as Huddersfield Town manager on Saturday, when the Terriers welcome high-flying Ipswich Town to the John Smith's Stadium.
The new boss began with a draw in dramatic fashion against Coventry City on Monday, while their visitors travel to Yorkshire on the back of four consecutive league wins, sitting second in the
Match preview
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In the early stages of the new Championship season, Huddersfield Town again find themselves under new management, after Neil Warnock, who guided them to safety last time around and led them into a new campaign and another survival bid, announced his intention to depart the club.
Following important back-to-back wins over West Bromwich Albion and Rotherham United, taking the Yorkshire outfit to seven points from six league outings, Warnock announced his final game would be their contest at home to Stoke City last Wednesday.
As the Terriers sought a replacement, the departing manager guided them to a 2-2 draw on home turf, as Matty Pearson initially put them ahead before Jack Rudoni earned them a point with a second-half equaliser, and the hierarchy subsequently took steps to appoint Darren Moore to take over at the John Smith's Stadium.
The new boss began with a tough trip to Coventry City on Monday, and his side looked set to fall to a 1-0 defeat as the hosts led through Yasin Ayari, but Michal Helik would pop up with a leveller deep into injury time at the end of the contest to force a share of the spoils and extend Huddersfield's unbeaten run to four league matches.
With Moore now set to oversee his first match on home turf, in what is one of the Terriers' toughest tests thus far, they will aim to continue their impressive run at the weekend with a first victory under the new boss and further improve on their current standing in 17th spot in England's second tier.
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In their way stand an Ipswich Town side who travel north in formidable form, having adjusted seamlessly to life in the Championship after winning promotion from League One under the management of Kieran McKenna last time around.
Since making a return to England's second tier, the Tractor Boys have won seven of their eight league outings, leaving them level on points with leaders Leicester City, as they initially started with triumphs over Sunderland, Stoke City and Queens Park Rangers, before suffering a first defeat in an eventful contest at home to newly-relegated Leeds United, as they eventually lost 4-3 at Portman Road.
The Suffolk outfit were instantly able to bounce back ahead of the international break, coming from behind to beat Cardiff City 3-2 at the beginning of September, before picking up where they left off on their return with 1-0 victories away at Sheffield Wednesday and Southampton, thanks to goals from Conor Chaplin and Omari Hutchinson respectively, before making it four on the bounce in the league with a 4-3 beating of Blackburn Rovers last Saturday.
McKenna's men twice went ahead in the first half of that meeting, with Harry Clarke quickly opening the scoring and Nathan Broadhead and George Hirst then firing them to a 3-1 lead, before the visitors drew level at 3-3 in the 65th minute and Massimo Luongo netted the decisive goal 11 minutes from time to swing the tie back in his side's favour and ensure all three points remained in Suffolk.
Now on the back of another impressive win, as they came from 2-0 down to beat top-flight Wolverhampton Wanderers 3-2 in the EFL Cup third round, thanks to goals from Hutchinson, Freddie Ladapo and Jack Taylor, Ipswich will turn their focus back to their league pursuits and aim to continue their fine start with a fifth straight second-tier victory, with the chance to move onto 24 points and strengthen their position in the top two.
Team News
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Darren Moore deployed Huddersfield Town in a new-look 3-5-2 shape in his first game at the helm on Monday, and we should see the same system at the weekend, with Josh Ruffels in line to return on the left-hand side after an injury layoff, while Matty Pearson, Michal Helik and Yuta Nakayama are bound to line up in an unchanged back three.
Jonathan Hogg and Jack Rudoni are key men in midfield and will both keep their places in the engine room, while Ben Wiles has also established himself in the starting XI since joining from Rotherham United in the summer and will again aim to push on and lend support to the attack.
One change could be the introduction of Sorba Thomas, who impressed off the bench and set up Helik's winner last time out, and Moore will likely decide between deploying the Welshman in a right wing-back role or in attack, with Josh Koroma and Delano Burgzorg having led the line last time out after both previously lining up on the wings.
Kieran McKenna made 10 outfield changes between last weekend's win over Blackburn Rovers and the recent cup tie against Wolves, and despite the impressive victory in midweek, the Tractor Boys will switch back to the more full-strength starting XI from last week's win, albeit with one enforced change, as Jack Taylor is likely to stay in midfield in place of captain Sam Morsy, who will serve a suspension for accumulating five league yellow cards.
He should be joined by Massimo Luongo, who netted the winner last Saturday, while Harry Clarke, Luke Woolfenden, Christian Burgess and Leif Davis should all return in defence in front of Vaclav Hladky, who continues to deputise between the sticks in the ongoing absence of Christian Walton through injury.
Competition is rife for the four attacking spots in their 4-2-3-1 shape, and Nathan Broadhead is bound to retake his spot on the left wing, while Conor Chaplin will also feature centrally, leaving Freddie Ladapo, George Hirst and Kayden Jackson to fight to lead the line with Hirst having been preferred in the league this term, while Wes Burns is expected to get the nod over Marcus Harness on the right-hand side.
Huddersfield Town possible starting lineup:
Nicholls; Pearson, Helik, Nakayama; Thomas, Rudoni, Hogg, Wiles, Ruffels; Koroma, Burgzorg
Ipswich Town possible starting lineup:
Hladky; Clarke, Burgess, Woolfenden, Davis; Taylor, Luongo; Burns, Chaplin, Broadhead; Hirst
We say: Huddersfield Town 1-2 Ipswich Town
Huddersfield are growing in confidence having gone four games without defeat, and they will certainly be no pushovers, particularly on home turf, but we do not see the Terriers having enough quality to match their in-form visitors and see McKenna's men leaving with another three-point haul.
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Top tip
Sam Varley
