Huddersfield Town take on QPR today in yet another televised game, this time with the odd kick off time of 5.30pm. Town come into the game buoyant after their crucial 2-0 win against promotion rivals, Luton Town. Not long ago it would have seemed like playing QPR would have been another game against playoff rivals but a run of five straight defeats has all-but ruled them out of contention for the playoffs and they come into this game in stinking form.
I can’t be bothered to go back into the records to check if my hunch is correct, but Town seem to always help opponents end bad runs by losing to them. Most notably this season we played Nottingham Forest at home after a spell when they had been absolutely awful under Chris Hughton but sadly they had sacked their manager and beat us comfortably. Thankfully QPR have kept the faith with their manager so far though, so we are at least spared the effect of the new manager bounce (which is apparently a myth but we always seem to fall victim to it anyway).
That’s enough of my rambling introduction, here are my predictions for the game.
Predicted Huddersfield Town XI to take on QPR
This game represents Town’s second game of this run of four games in just two weeks. So the team selection for this evening’s game is even trickier to predict than usual. Town have got good backup options but Carlos often prefers to keep his core players in the starting lineup.
My guess is that we’ll see a strong lineup today and a few fresh faces brought in for the Middlesbrough and Barnsley games next week. You could argue that we should rest key players for the harder game on Monday rather than burn them out against a team that’s on a shocking losing run. I think it’s better to play the strongest possible team in every game, particularly as players like Lewis O’Brien and Harry Toffolo have a freakish ability to push their bodies through punishing amounts of work.
The only change I think we’ll see today compared to the one that started against Luton will be Sinani dropping to the bench to make way for Duane Holmes in a like-for-like switch. This isn’t a fitness issue, merely that Sinani is a bit of a liability at times and gives the ball away far too cheaply.
Here’s how I think we’ll lineup:
Goalkeeper: Nicholls
Defence: Pipa, Lees, Colwill, Toffolo
Midfield: Russell, Hogg, O’Brien
Attack: Holmes, Ward, Thomas
Predicted formation for Huddersfield Town: 4-3-3
Matty Pearson’s injury means we’re likely to see Town mostly play with a back four for the rest of the season. While Naby Sarr put in an incredible cameo from the bench on Tuesday, I’d still rather see him as the backup option rather than starting games.
One of the nice benefits of having two centre backs is that we can allow Hogg to drop in and make a three when Town are in possession and give the fullbacks more licence to bomb forward. So while it’s technically a three-man central midfield I’m expecting in front of the defence, Hogg will really be another defender and most of the time will be playing further back than either fullback.
The attacking lineup is also a bit funny, with Sorba Thomas likely to play more like a proper winger and the other “winger” (Holmes or Sinani most likely) will cut inside and make space for the fullback to overlap down the flank. It’s a bit wonky but it does work in terms of creating space and pulling defenders out of position.
My main concern with this tactical shape is that Ward can be very isolated if the wingers drop too deep. Then he either gets no service and has to ghost around hoping for a ball that never comes or drops deep to link play up and leaves a gap further up field when we do get forward.
I spoke earlier about how hard the selection is to pick but the formation is just as hard because Carlos likes to tinker. In fact, it wouldn’t surprise me if we see three or four different shapes used as the game progresses. In the past I worried that excessive monkeying with the tactics confused the limited tactical brains of the playing staff but this Town squad seem adept at adjusting quickly to new instructions and they all seem to have faith in Carlos’ master plans.
Predicted game plan for Huddersfield Town
Town were relatively cagey against Luton, careful not to commit too many players forward and making sure that there wasn’t too much space for Luton to exploit. I think we’ll see a bolder approach today.
While QPR are a good team with decent players, they’ve struggled lately and this is a good game to get on the front foot early on. My expectation is that Town will be very aggressive and attacking in the opening stages and look to put pressure on a team that is lacking confidence. If we can set the agenda in the early exchanges then hopefully we can make their heads drop and dominate the game.
There have been games in the past where we’ve started very aggressively and it’s not paid off. In the away game against Reading we managed to really unsettle them and score early goals but we threw so many players forward in the process that they kept scoring too and we needed to score four to eventually win that game. QPR are a far better team than Reading, so it might be a bit too much to expect an easy win and free-flowing football.
Predicted scoreline: Huddersfield Town 2-0 QPR
The bookies have this game down as a home banker and, while I don’t quite share their confidence, I’m hopeful we’ll get a win. It’s a rare Town game where we go in really expecting to get something out of the game and that kind of thinking can hurt you.
Town are suddenly running out of games to fall out of the playoff places and it now seems a couple wins will be enough to have a very good chance of getting into the playoffs. A win against QPR and favourable results elsewhere will improve our chances even more. I don’t expect an easy game today, I think the motivation Town have to keep getting results and the poor morale in the QPR camp after falling away lately will give Town the edge.