Huddersfield Town vs Manchester City
Date: 20/01/2019
K/O: 13:30
Venue: John Smiths Stadium
Referee: Andre Marriner
TV: Sky Sports Main Event
Relegation-bound Huddersfield Town host title-chasing Manchester City in front of the Sky Sports cameras on Sunday in their first game without David Wagner, after his shock departure from the club during the week.
Following a turbulent spell towards the end of December, Manchester City come into the game off the back of three wins. Last week, Guardiola’s side swept aside Wolves in a routine 3-0 win with Gabriel Jesus netting twice before a Conor Coady own goal. City are now just four points adrift of league leaders Liverpool and will continue to pile on the pressure this weekend.
As for Huddersfield, they have hit rock bottom. The Terriers are bottom of the pile and winless in nine games and the departure of David Wagner has added more concern to their Premier League survival. Caretaker boss Mark Hudson will be in charge for this Sunday’s encounter yet the stats don’t look good for the Yorkshire side – they have conceded 37 goals this year, facing a City side who have managed 59 goals in the league this campaign and averaging a goal every 31 minutes in all competitions. It seems the former Fulham centre back will have his work cut out if his side are to avoid an embarrassment at the John Smith Stadium.
Man City are looking to stage a siege on Liverpool’s top spot. The Citizens have netted 21 goals in just their last four games – including their ruthless performances in the FA and League Cup against Burton and Rotherham respectively. Pep Guardiola’s side are looking to win their first ever back to back Premier League titles with Liverpool on the other hand hoping to win their first.
In recent news, it seems Liverpool have struck an injury crisis – they are without defenders Joe Gomez, Matip, Lovern and Trent Alexander Arnold and this weekend they face Crystal Palace who have been known to disrupt Liverpool’s title challenge in the past. Back in the 2013/14 season, Liverpool were similarly on course to win the league, but Palace staged a late comeback and severally dented their chances. More recently, Palace spiced up the title race again – beating Man City 3-2 at the Etihad. If City are to overtake Liverpool, this weekend provides an excellent opportunity to reduce the gap to just one point.
Huddersfield have rarely been out of the bottom three this season and the odds will be stacked against them. Their punch-less threat in combination with their unreliable defence has sunk them to the very bottom which is a combination that the big teams relish. In November 1987 the Terriers went to Manchester City and suffered their biggest ever defeat in league football – losing 10-1. At the time it probably seemed impossible to replicate such a scoreline, but coming into this fixture I wouldn’t write it off. If Huddersfield are to stage a miracle and rise out of the bottom three, they need to pick up all the points they possibly can and it will need to start soon. A big performance against a big team could provide a boost of motivation which could spring them away from relegation yet they will have to be at their extraordinary best to come away from this with something.
Team News
Predicted Starting XI’s
Huddersfield Town (4-2-3-1): Lössl; Hadergjonaj, Zanka, Schindler, Durm; Billing, Hogg; Kachunga, Pritchard, Puncheon; Mounie
Manchester City (4-3-3): Ederson; Walker, Stones, Laporte, Danilo; Bernardo Silva, Fernandinho, Silva; Sterling, Jesus, Sane
Score prediction: Huddersfield Town 0 Manchester City 2
City have been crushing the smaller teams this year and an upset is hard to see. Huddersfield played well against Cardiff last week and it will be interesting to see how they play with a new manager. However, City’s title challenge will be no match against Huddersfield’s relegation fight.
