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PREVIEW: Huddersfield Town vs Swansea City – 10/03/18

Huddersfield Town vs Swansea City 

Date: 10/03/18

K/O: 15:00pm

Venue: John Smith’s Stadium

Referee: Michael Oliver

Huddersfield Town and Swansea will both go into this weekend’s game in good spirits as they each look to continue their ascent away from relegation.

Although the two teams only sit three points above the relegation zone, they are both among the most in-form sides in the bottom of the table, and a win for either here would be a huge statement in their battle to avoid the drop.

Huddersfield Town have recovered dramatically from a disastrous January spell which saw them lose every Premier League match they played and have since gone on to emphatically win two of their last three games. Although they barely mustered a resistance in their 2-0 defeat to Tottenham Hotspur at Wembley, those two wins against Bournemouth and West Brom in their previous games have given them real hope of staying in the league.

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The on-going tactical astuteness of David Wagner as manager is consistently crucial and their attacking players, most in-form of those being Rajiv van La Parra and Steve Mounie, are continuing to prove their Premier League quality. However, as we move into the last nine games of the season, questions remain over Huddersfield’s defence. In January, Huddersfield conceded 15 goals in five games and the last time they played Swansea their goalkeeper Jonas Lössl was badly at fault for the first goal in a 2-0 defeat. With that prior experience, and with the knowledge that Lössl has done little to impress since then, Swansea will be aiming to provoke a mistake once more.

After the worrying defeat at Brighton, Swansea responded in the most emphatic style by beating a hapless West Ham United at the Liberty Stadium last week, running out 4-1 winners. This win raised them not only above West Ham but also their weekend opponents Huddersfield and significantly bought back the confidence that Carvalhal is leading his side to a miraculously safe position. Despite the injury ravaged and clumsy performance of their opponents, Swansea City were outstanding in that win, playing with a drive and determination to hassle opponents that hasn’t been seen in their stadium since the early days of the Garry Monk era.

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The return of André Ayew as a January signing looks an inspirational piece of business, even at the club record-fee of £18 million, with his versatility to play in all forward areas and his bullying style proving to be important attributes that Carvalhal will cherish. This represents a rare recent example where Swansea got a player of the exact quality, determination and stature that they needed in the transfer-window.

Although Huddersfield will be confident against a Swansea team that even under Carvalhal have struggled on the road, the renewed attacking verve and talent of the away side make this a fascinating encounter. A clean sheet for either team should not be expected.

Team News:

Huddersfield will be desperately hoping that their midfielder Aaron Mooy is ready to start this game after missing his last three through injury. He has been selected in Australia’s squad for the upcoming European friendlies, but it is less clear whether he is entirely fit to play ninety minutes for his club yet. After his impressive form on loan from Ingolstadt, rewarded on Thursday with a permanent three-year deal for Huddersfield, the Swiss right back Florent Hadergjonaj is a player to watch.

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The surprise inclusion of Leicester City loan signing Andy King was another success story from Swansea’s win over West Ham, with the Welshman putting in a commanding performance at the heart of the midfield and getting rewarded with a goal as well. Having finally found midfield balance however, attention will inevitably turn to Ki Sung-Yeung, who is out of contract in the summer and has suddenly become one of Swansea’s most crucial players. If they beat the drop, keeping this midfielder on for future seasons will become the greatest priority.

Predicted Starting XI’s:

Huddersfield Town (4-3-2-1): Lössl, Hadergjonaj, Jorgensen, Schindler, Kongolo, Hogg, Billing, Mooy, Pritchard, van La Parra, Mounie.

Swansea (5-3-2): Fabianski, Mawson, Fernandez, van der Hoorn, Olsson, Naughton, Ki Sung-Yeung, Clucas, King, A. Ayew, J. Ayew.

Prediction: Huddersfield Town 2 Swansea City 1 

This is an extremely difficult result to guess, with both sides believing, with good reason, that they can leave the John Smith’s Stadium with all three points. Ultimately however, Huddersfield have attacked confidently and successfully when playing similarly relegation threatened teams at home, and despite their last result, Swansea will still be targeted by Wagner thanks to their unimpressive away form.

It feels like Swansea have finally found their best starting eleven and formation under Carvalhal, and this will put that team to a big test in an attempt to reverse their disappointing results on the road. It should be tight and there should be goals, and yet whatever the result proves to be, both teams should have the momentum to avoid relegation regardless.

Written by Jack Hall. (@apuffofJack)

Jack Hall

An MA Film Studies graduate who now writes about Fulham FC for 90MAAT and any movies that take his fancy in his spare time. Recently saw his football club, Swansea City, get relegated and people were right, the Championship is much more fun.

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