Huddersfield Town take on West Bromwich Albion tonight in a game with huge implications for the top and bottom of the Championship table.
West Brom need a win to avoid Brentford pushing them out of the automatic promotion spot. Town are fighting for their survival, with a win likely to see them safe and anything less leaving them sweating on other results.
Here are a few things to look out for in tonight’s game…
Will Town play for a draw?
Town have managed three nil-nil draws in lockdown so far and another tonight, though dire to watch, would put them in a much stronger position in the league. Not safe but far more likely to not need anything from our final game at Millwall.
Given West Brom have a much better team than Town and have played better football, I suspect Danny Cowley won’t set his team up for all out attack. I think it’s more likely that we’ll sit deep and try to hurt them on the break.
Is using counter attacking tactics negative and playing for a nil nil? I think it depends on your outlook. When our Championship survival is on the line, it’s a gamble to sit deep and hope for chances to breakaway but dominating possession doesn’t seem to suit Town either. I’d argue it’s more pragmatic than negative but few fans will complain if we achieve survival.
Can Town break their goal drought?
Regardless of tactics, Town’s current lack of goals is a major issue. It’s now four games since we scored, double that since we got a goal in open play.
I don’t think the reason for our lack of goals is all that hard to see. We’ve relied heavily of Karlan Grant for goals this season and lately he’s dried up. Whether that’s because he’s stopped trying or because defences have figured him out I’m not sure.
But if Karlan Grant isn’t scoring then we need to find goals elsewhere. Bacuna has scored a few but otherwise we don’t have many players that have consistently found the net. Now would be an excellent time for those underachievers to step up and take some of the responsibility.
Are nerves going to get the better of the Baggies?
Brentford have been relentless since the restart and have put West Brom under serious pressure in the race for automatic promotion. That kind of pressure does funny things to teams and the it could impact the Baggies performance.
While the bookies don’t give Town much of a chance in this game, I think it may end up being closer than expected. A draw or a narrow margin of victory seems likely to me, with both sides likely to be feeling pressure.
In many ways, Town may be more relaxed about this game than West Brom because we’re not expected to get anything from it. I just hope that lifts the pressure enough for us to relax in front of goal a bit and finish whatever chances come our way.
Who will Danny Cowley pick?
Dropping Karlan Grant from the starting eleven would have been unthinkable at times this season but it should at least be considered for this game. He’s struggling in front of goal and his body language on the pitch is not great. There aren’t a wealth of options to replace him but I’d be tempted to give Pritchard a chance to play in the Grant role and see how he links up with Smith Rowe in a more central position.
Campbell or Mounié will be another question for Cowley to settle. Neither feels like a great option but I would select Campbell based purely on his work rate when closing down the opposition. If fitness is a concern then it may be best to play each for 45 minutes and keep both of them fresh for Millwall next Wednesday.
The right wing is another troublesome spot to select. Kachunga tracks back and works hard but isn’t much of a threat going forward. Willock looks more dangerous but is less disciplined positionally. I’d like to see Collin Quaner given a chance but he didn’t even come off the bench against Wednesday, so it seems unlikely.
I’d like to see the same back four and central midfield pairing as the Sheffield Wednesday game if they are all fit and able. It may be that substitutions are needed to freshen things up as the games wear on but it seems silly to break up the backline that kept a clean sheet in their last game.
Will Town be safe by the end of the weekend?
If Town get a win or a draw tonight then they have a chance of being mathematically safe before we play Millwall on Wednesday night. A win means we can all sit back and relax at getting clear of the drop zone. A draw will mean more staring at the league table and wondering “what if?” over and over again, but once all the teams have played this weekend we will have a much clearer picture of what is required from Town (if anything) against Millwall.
Even if we lose tonight, we can’t drop into the bottom three before Wednesday night (assuming Wigan’s 12 point deduction is applied). So our fate is definitely in our own hands. Let’s hope we can take our chances and cling on to safety.