Huddersfield Town head into the third round of the FA Cup against Bristol City, hoping that a decent cup run might offer some relief from their torrid league form. David Wagner made it clear in this pre-match comments that he’ll field a team he believes is strong enough to win, but he’ll also be likely to give some of the fringe players a chance.
Here’s what I think Wagner will do with the team tomorrow…
Goalkeeper – Ben Hamer
This isn’t in any doubt, as David Wagner confirmed that Hamer will be given a chance in this match. Despite starting the season as first choice, Hamer’s opportunities have been limited after a couple of shaky games.
Left back – Chris Löwe
The German is the most obvious choice in the left flank, as Kongolo is likely to be pushed in field to cover Schindler’s absence following his suspension.
Central defence – Terrence Kongolo and Jon Stankovic
Stankovic is another player that hasn’t had many chances this season, so I think Wagner will give him a chance to blow away the cobwebs in a competitive game. Pairing him with Kongolo would be wise, as the Dutchman is lightning quick and can compensate for Stankovic’s lack of speed.
Right back – Florent Hadergjonaj
He’s enduring a poor run of form at the moment and deserves to be dropped, but Erik Durm’s fitness and injury record would make it a risk to play. This game could be a chance for Flo to turn around his recent problems and play himself back into form.
Defensive midfield – Juninho Bacuna and Jonnathan Hogg
Bacuna lost his place in midfield recently, despite being one of only two fit central midfielders at the time. There were promising signs in his first few games for Town, but he made to many errors, so will hopefully cut those out against Bristol if he’s given a chance. The injuries in midfield mean that Wagner is likely to choose a first team regular to partner Bacuna, Hogg’s reliability makes him the obvious choice to me, but Billing could be preferred because of his youthful vigour and ability to chuck the ball high up in the air.
Wingers – Diakhaby and Mbenza
I’m guessing that Puncheon will be given a place on the bench rather than a starting spot, so Wagner will give Mbenza and Diakhaby an opportunity to prove their critics wrong. Mbenza put in a wonderful cross for Mounié’s goal on Wednesday night so it’s to be hoped that he can keep that kind of supply to the forwards up for this game. Diakhaby has barely featured for Town so far, and looked like the second-coming of Malvin Kamara on the few chances he had been given.
Number ten and striker – Alex Pritchard and Laurent Depoitre
We don’t really have another number ten in the team, so Pritchard is my choice for this position. He was unlucky to be tactically subbed before half-time following Schindler’s red card against Burnley, so should be fresh enough for this game. Depoitre is another Town player that’s struggled this season, yet to score and looking bereft of ideas going forward, but his physical style and quality on the ball may cause problems for Bristol City’s defence.
It’s rare that I get these predictions right, so don’t panic if you disagree with my prediction. Feel free to post your preferred lineup in the comments.