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Huddersfield logo
Championship
Aug 23, 2014 at 3pm UK
 
Charlton Athletic

1-1

Wells (50')
FT(HT: 0-0)
Vetokele (92')

Preview: Huddersfield Town vs. Charlton Athletic

Sports Mole looks ahead to Saturday's Championship encounter between Huddersfield and in-form Charlton at the John Smith's Stadium.

Despite being tipped by many to be embroiled in another relegation battle this season, Charlton Athletic have so far defied the pre-season predictions and remain unbeaten in the Championship.

Jose Riga was the man who kept the Addicks in the division last term, but it is his fellow Belgian Bob Peeters who has led his side to such an impressive start this time around.

But for a late equaliser by Brentford on the opening day of the campaign, Charlton would boast a perfect record having since toppled automatic promotion candidates Wigan Athletic and Derby County in quick succession.

On paper, Saturday's trip to face managerless Huddersfield Town appears to be an easier test than those two matches, but the Addicks will not have home advantage this time around following three consecutive outings at The Valley.

Even so, for a team that struggled so much in front of goal last season, scoring just 41 times in 46 matches, to have netted six times in the league and 10 times in all competitions will fill Peeters with confidence that his side have the firepower to keep them safe this year.

Perhaps even more pleasing for the Belgian boss will be the fact that the six goals have been spread around the team, with five different players getting on the scoresheet.

Igor Vetokele is the only player to have scored more than once for the club this season, and he is again expected to start alongside George Tucudean up front after the Romanian opened his own account on Tuesday.

By contrast, Huddersfield suffered a nightmare start to the season, losing 4-0 to Bournemouth on the opening day, parting company with manager Mark Robins and then being beaten 3-1 by Cardiff City last weekend.

Things were certainly looking grim for the Yorkshire outfit, but they somehow managed to bounce back and claim an impressive 2-1 victory over Reading at the Madejski Stadium on Tuesday.

That result will certainly raise spirits at the John Smith's Stadium as the club continue their search for a new manager, with Mark Lillis currently in his third spell as caretaker boss.

Lillis has ruled himself out of the running for the job on a permanent basis, however, while Neil Warnock has also reportedly refused the chance to become the club's next manager.

Interestingly, former Charlton boss Chris Powell has become the new favourite to take over the reins, but it is unlikely that any new boss will be appointed in time to have an impact this weekend.

The problems in Huddersfield have by no means been fixed by the victory over Reading, but it will give the side plenty of confidence going into their clash with in-form Charlton this weekend.

The Terriers will also be desperate to redeem themselves in front of their own fans, with this being their first match at home since the drubbing at the hands of Bournemouth.

Recent form

Huddersfield: LWLW

Charlton: DWWW

Possible starting lineups

Huddersfield: Smithies; Smith, Wallace, Lynch, Dixon; Hogg, Coady, Scannell, Butterfield; Wells, Bunn

Charlton: Pope; Gomez, Ben Haim, Bikey, Wiggins; Gudmundsson, Buyens, Jackson, Cousins; Tucudean, Vetokele

Sports Mole says: 0-0


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Written by
Barney Corkhill
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