Huddersfield Town will welcome Rotherham United to the John Smith's Stadium for a Yorkshire Derby on Saturday.
After seeing their New Year's Day fixture postponed, the hosts sit seven points outside of the League One table's top two, while their visitors bounced back to winning ways to narrow their gap to the top half.
Match preview
© Imago
Huddersfield Town head into their first game of 2025 on Saturday aiming to extend an unbeaten streak and climb closer to the League One automatic promotion spots after the postponement of their scheduled fixture on New Year's Day.
Aiming to win promotion back to the Championship at the first time of asking under Michael Duff this season, they have earned 43 points from their opening 22 games to sit fourth, having won 13 of those games and only lost five.
The four most recent of those defeats came across late September and early October, and the Terriers have gone unbeaten in 13 games since to join the leading pack, winning nine of those matches and drawing four, most recently snatching a point from a 1-1 draw at home to Burton Albion thanks to Michal Helik's late leveller, following back-to-back victories over Cambridge United and Stockport County either side of Christmas.
Having since seen their scheduled trip to Wigan Athletic proposed due to flooding, Huddersfield Town now return to action in fourth spot in League One, five points behind third-placed Wrexham with two games in hand and seven behind leaders Wycombe Wanderers with one in hand, and they will aim to continue their hot streak and make a return to winning ways on Saturday to keep up their pursuit of the top two.
![Rotherham United manager Steve Evans during the EFL Sky Bet League 1 match between Wycombe Wanderers and Rotherham United at Adams Park, High Wycombe, England, on 24 August 2024. [on August 25, 2024]](https://sm.imgix.net/24/34/steve-evans.jpg?w=640&h=480&auto=compress,format&fit=clip "Rotherham United manager Steve Evans during the EFL Sky Bet League 1 match between Wycombe Wanderers and Rotherham United at Adams Park, High Wycombe, England, on 24 August 2024. [on August 25, 2024]")
© Imago
Their visitors, meanwhile, make the trip across Yorkshire in search of back-to-back wins to kick off the new year and a climb up the League One table.
After also suffering relegation from the Championship last time around, Rotherham United have endured a tougher return to England's third tier thus far, currently sitting 17th having only picked up 27 points from the first 22 games of their own promotion bid.
The Millers looked to have turned a corner with back-to-back home wins over Lincoln City and Northampton Town in early December, only to suffer consecutive 1-0 defeats to Mansfield Town and Wigan Athletic either side of Christmas before hosting Stockport County and taking a point from a 1-1 draw thanks to Hakeem Odoffin's leveller.
Then kicking off the new year deep in the bottom half of League One, Steve Evans's side faced a tough trip to Lincoln City on Wednesday and completed a double over the promotion-chasing Imps with an impressive 1-0 victory, as Joe Powell broke the deadlock and sealed all three points for the South Yorkshire side in the 85th minute.
Now sitting 17th in League One but only trailing Lincoln in the top half by four points after the New Year's Day triumph, Rotherham United will be keen to build a winning run and a climb up the division by taking a major scalp at the John Smith's Stadium on Saturday.
Team News
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Huddersfield Town continue to contend with several injury issues, with Lee Nicholls, Jonathan Hogg, Antony Evans, Lasse Sorensen and Rhys Healey set to remain confined to the treatment room, while Danny Ward is a fresh concern after being forced off in the first five minutes of their meeting with Burton Albion.
Bojan Radulovic and Freddie Ladapo will compete to join Callum Marshall up front in Ward's place, while Josh Koroma offers further attacking support from a left wing-back role.
In the absence of Evans and Hogg, David Kasumu, Ben Wiles and Herbie Kane are bound to continue in the engine room, while Tom Lees, Michal Helik and Nigel Lonwijk should keep their places in a back three.
Steve Evans will field a similar Rotherham United starting XI from their 1-0 win away at Lincoln City on New Year's Day, with defender Sean Raggett remaining sidelined by an injury.
In his place, Hakeem Odoffin will continue to deputise alongside Zak Jules at the heart of a back four after Wednesday's clean sheet, while defender Cameron Humphreys joined Shaun McWilliams at the base of the midfield for that trip.
One change could come in attack, with Jonson Clarke-Harris hoping to return from the outset to lead the line with support from Mallik Wilks, Sam Nombe and Joe Powell.
Huddersfield Town possible starting lineup:
Chapman; Lees, Helik, Lonwijk; Spencer, Kasumu, Wiles, Kane, Koroma; Radulovic, Marshall
Rotherham United possible starting lineup:
Phillips; Rafferty, Odoffin, Jules, James; McWilliams, Humphreys; Wilks, Nombe, Powell; Clarke-Harris
We say: Huddersfield Town 2-1 Rotherham United
Rotherham United do have more quality than their current league position suggests, but Huddersfield Town are also strong all over the pitch, and with momentum on their side and more rest thanks to the New Year's Day postponement, we back the Terriers to come out on top on home turf.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Sam Varley
