Huddersfield Town take on Stoke in a top-flight Boxing Day clash. Playing Premier League football on Boxing Day is this year’s biggest Christmas present, and we can all be thankful to David Wagner and Dean Hoyle for delivering this wonderful gift.
Stoke currently lie 14th in the table, three points and three places below Town. They’ve underacheived under Mark Hughes this season and pressure was starting to mount on the manager. A 3-1 win over West Brom on Saturday brought some relief, but expect chants of “You’re getting sacked in the morning” if Town take the lead at any stage.
Huddersfield Town are favourites for once
Pundits and bookies have routinely written Town off this season and we get used to being told we’re going to get beaten. It’sp strange to enter a game where we’re fancied. Stoke are a good team and have a variety of talented players but their recent form and Town’s strong home record mean we’re the favourite in this fixture.
This brings a different kind of pressure to Town’s players and it’ll be interesting to see how they cope. It’s possible that Stoke will look to sit deep against us and play on the break. If this is the case then it’ll be a real test of our forwards’ creativity and persistence. We’ll also have to find the right balance between throwing players forward and not being vulnerable to quick breakaways.
What will Mark Hughes find to moan about?
Mark Hughes is one of my least favourite managers in the Premier League. I’m completely fed up of his constantly moaning in the media. To my knowledge he’s never accepted defeat in a game with good grace, always finding a decision to complain about or an opposition player to bad mouth.
With that in mind I’m certain that he’ll find something to complain about if Town get a result on Boxing Day. Maybe it’ll be the clappers making too much noise, Town’s players pressing too hard, or maybe he’ll just have a whinge about his disappointing Christmas presents. Whatever it is, I can guarantee he’ll find something to complain about.
Predicted team to play Stoke
I like to try and predict the team that David Wagner will choose for games in these blogposts but because of his tinkering it’s hard to get it right. As this is our second game in four days I expect he’ll make use of his squad and rotate where he can.
Lössl, Zanka, Schindler and Mooy are all vital players that are hard to drop because we lack backup players of the same quality. Everyone else from Saturday’s starting eleven at Southampton could make way.
I think he’ll change fullbacks, as those positions have seen a lot of rotation. Luckily our four first team fullbacks are all on a similar level so we don’t lose too much by changing things here. Williams will probably play in deep midfield alongside Mooy, but Whitehead may get a run out against his old club.
The attacking three behind the striker could all potentially change. I think VLP will stay as he should be relatively fresh. Quaner has played quite a bit lately, so could drop to the bench. Ince’s form has dipped lately, so he’s another that might not make the starting lineup.
Depoitre was excellent again on Saturday against Southampton, but he ran himself into to the ground in those 80 minutes, so I think Wagner will opt for the fresher Mounié. This makes sense too, as he’s more suited to a home game where Town’s attacking players will get closer to the striker and offer more support.
Featured bets
Before anyone puts any money on the game based on my predictions, I’d like to point out that I’ve not got a good record with sports betting and you’re a fool to follow my tips. Also, gambling generally is a mug’s game. So feel free to fritter your money if you want to, but over a long enough timeline the bookies almost always win.
Both teams to score (evens) – I think we’re likely to see goals at both ends against Stoke. We’ve got two strikers that are both in scoring form lately, our lads will be spurred on by the home atmosphere, and goals feel a bit easier to come by for Town at the moment. On the other hand, we made quite a few errors at the back against Southampton, so could easily let Stoke in for at least one goal.
Anytime goalscorer: Chris Löwe (12/1) – This one is a bit more of a long-shot but it could be worth a punt. Löwe might not be that likely to get a goal in open play but I’d guess he’s second in line behind Aaron Mooy for penalties and is usually lurking around for freekicks too. If Mooy is subbed or rested then Löwe could be our penalty taker, making him great value at 12/1 to score any time.
Tom Ince to score a hat-trick (100/1) – If Löwe to score is a longshot, then this tip is more like pouring your money down the drain. Tom Ince is famously the player that’s taken most shots without scoring in the league (and possibly Europe), but I get the feeling once he gets one then he’ll start banging them in. Ridiculous optimistic, yes, but maybe he received his scoring boots from Santa this Christmas!
TerrierSpirit.com prediction: Huddersfield Town 3-1 Stoke
I think this will be another all-action Town performance and Stoke will struggle to deal with our pressing game and attacking football. They might try to frustrate us but David Wagner will have thought of this and have worked on a plan to break them down.
There are likely to be a few fresh faces in the Town lineup but I believe our squad is strong and fresher players will help us play our natural full-throttle tactics. Let’s hope Stoke are still feeling bloated from their Christmas dinners and can’t get going.
Always enjoy reading your balanced previews and reviews 🙂