Huddersfield Town can confirm their entry to the playoffs with a win tonight over Barnsley. In fact, it’s possible we could be certain of finishing in the top six if other results go our way even without a victory. Our opponents find themselves at the other end of the table and have to win to avoid confirming their relegation to League One. So plenty at stake in the Yorkshire derby!
Dialing down the hype a notch, Barnsley are almost certain to go down and Town are similarly likely to qualify for the playoffs. It’s not quite a dead rubber but I feel like I was a bit over the top in the opening paragraph. Regardless, it’s likely to be a competitive game and there are, as the saying goes, no easy games in the Championship. Carlos has said he intends to name a strong lineup tonight, so I’ll take him at his word when it comes to predicting the team selection.
Goalkeeper: Lee Nicholls
No surprises about who will keep goal for Town tonight. I found myself wondering, in a quiet moment earlier this week, how much our keeper is worth in the transfer market and couldn’t come to an easy answer. He’s been vital to Town’s success this season and has the most clean sheets of any keeper in the football league this season. But he’s 29, was second choice at Milton Keynes last season and in my mind keepers don’t tend to be bought and sold for big money outside of the top teams. The Transfmrkt website rates him at about half a million but their numbers are mostly made up by fans I believe and that seems too low. Maybe two or three million would be more like it. The truth is that we would be daft to sell him as he’s worth so much to our team.
Defence: Pipa, Turton, Lees, Sarr, Toffolo
Carlos Corberan confirmed in his pre match press conference that he thinks Pipa is now at a point where he can play back-to-back games and he, in a roundabout way, confirmed the Spaniard will play tonight. Against Middlesborough he and Toffolo played fairly conservatively but if we go with five at the back tonight, I think the wingbacks will be instructed to bomb forward at every opportunity to take advantage of a Barnsley side that are low on confidence.
My expectation is that we’ll see Turton, Lees and Sarr working as a back three again. All three were resolute on Monday and were key to victory. With Colwill and Pearson both injured then there really aren’t a lot of other choices in central defence.
I have a feeling that Toffolo is going to get rested one game soon but I’m not sure this will be the game. More likely he will be stood down for a match once we know we’re in the playoffs for sure and can rest key players with complete peace of mind.
Midfield: Hogg, Russell, O’Brien
This central midfield trio have a nice combination of qualities. Hogg brings the defensive grit, Russell the ball playing ability and O’Brien the energetic running and ability to drive forward with the ball. If you could splice all three into a single player it would be a complete Championship midfielder. Unless you spliced the wrong qualities, in which case you’d have a painfully slow player that regularly misplaces simple passes and fails to finish presentable chances.
I’d really like to see Carel Eiting given a run out in central midfield but his omission from even the bench in the last two games suggests he’s nowhere near getting a game and, in fact, Scott High has moved above him in the pecking order. It’s easy to write High off because of some of his poorer showings this season but he’s still very young and has shown plenty of potential in his better games.
Holmes, Rhodes
Josh Koroma was far from perfect in the second half of the Middlesbrough game but there were signs of the player he was last season. So it’s unfortunate that a minor hamstring niggle could rule him out of this game as he’s someone that could benefit from these final games of the season where the stakes are lower.
Instead, I suspect it will be Holmes that is brought in to fill the Sorba Thomas sized hole in the squad. Thomas has been to see a knee specialist and we’ll know more about his injury soon but I think we’re unlikely to see him for the next few games and even his availability for the playoffs could be in doubt. Holmes isn’t the same kind of player as Thomas but he does bring a good work ethic to the pitch and has quality on the ball, even if he doesn’t show it in every performance.
Jordan Rhodes put in a bit of a nothing performance when he played against Hull just after the last international break but he was superb on Monday. Tonight is another chance for him to show what he can do. If we can get decent chances to him, he will score. We’re not a team that typically creates loads of opportunities for the main striker but Rhodes’ goalscoring instincts are still there and I’m optimistic we’ll see more goals from him before the end of the season.
I agree entirely but wouldn’t be surprised if he preferred Sinani tonHolmes along side Rhodes.
Bench will be interesting: will Eiting get a berth and might we see Rowe?
Don’t think Barnsley will roll over, so might be a game that requires some smart subs.
Have to agree with Terry, even though Holmes would be my preference over Sinani, without Thomas in the side I see Sinani being put in purely because of his set piece deliveries.
I’d go completely left field and throw Campbell on upfront with Rhodes.
Let the full backs provide the attacking intent for crosses, and give Jordan someone who will put himself about for the cause to play off.
I think we need to try things, if we are going to be stuck in an injury crisis as the playoffs approach.
Sinani and Holmes have had plenty of chances and not done much at all in recent times.
Not too bothered about Eiting really, obviously skillful but dont think he’s kicked on from last year, and even then to me he was very patchy.
Not so sure about Anjorin either, looks totally out of his depth at the minute, jogs around doing nothing, seems as though he’s playing in a daze.
Obviously way better than what he’s showing but that January transfer business has been a total bust.
Shame we don’t seem to have strengthened those positions, however it’s great that the squad in general can be counted upon to perform as they did at Middlesbrough.
Desperate for some positive injury news, would hate to see this season just fizzle out after the effort they’ve put in.
I feel for sure Sinani will be be in the starting eleven to replace the injured Thomas for his ability to take a decent corner on the right side of the pitch gives him the edge . It’s not going to be a easy game we have already played them twice and it was close run thing .