Huddersfield Town v Manchester United – MATCH PREVIEW

On the journey back from Wembley last May I spent a lot of time thinking about the teams Town would be playing this season. This was the first fixture I thought about, playing Manchester United at our own stadium. It’s an absolute treat to be welcoming one of the best club teams in the world to Huddersfield.

The challenge will be to get the Town players to put in a performance worthy of the occasion. Our first home game against a top six team ended in a 4-0 thrashing, but I’m quietly confident we’ll make a better showing of ourselves against United. Winning is a tall order, but I hope we put in a performance that we can be proud of, regardless of the result.

Huddersfield Town v Manchester United – Match details

Kick-off: 3 pm, Saturday 21 October 2017

Tickets: Sold out, not only did the few available tickets sell out instantly, few season card holders will be putting their seats up on the exchange.

Referee: Lee Mason – He’s reffed 228 Premier League games, giving out 698 yellow cards and 37 reds. That works out at around 3 yellows a game and a red in 16% of the games he’s officiated. Town will have to be careful, as we received some silly bookings against Swansea and Mourinho is a master of putting pressure on referees.

Predicted lineup against Manchester United

If you take out every player that Town fans said needed to be dropped after Swansea then we’d need a completely new team for this match. However, I suspect Wagner will only makes subtle changes to his lineup.

Malone didn’t shine on his Premier League debut last weekend, and cramping up and needing to be replaced raises questions about whether his fitness is where it needs to be. For that reason I think Löwe might get back his position at left-back.

Billing is out with the ankle injury he picked up at Swansea, so Mooy will be the creative deep-lying midfielder. I’ll guess Hogg will partner him but now Danny Williams is fit again it could be either of them.

Ince has continued to be played in the number ten role in recent games, despite there being little evidence that he’s suited to that position. I hope that this issue is resolved and van La Parra makes way for Sabiri and Ince goes out wide again. I’ve predicted this change incorrectly for the last three games, but a stopped clock is right twice a day, so I’ll keep making this prediction.

Up front I suspect Depoitre will lead the line as Mounié gets back up to full fitness following his heel injury. I’d love to see Mounié feature at some stage, but a starting position may be too much until he’s had more time training.

Pre-match comments from David Wagner

David Wagner gave one of his best press conferences yet as Huddersfield Town manager. Hearing him talk about the need not to expect the extraordinary as the ordinary was the perfect message to send out. He was dampening down expectations, talking up what we’ve acheived so far, and still somehow managing to sound optimistic.

I’ll happily admit that I don’t have any way to rationally assess Wagner, because I think he’s incredible. If he was to start his own death cult I’m pretty sure I’d sign up without even thinking about it. Thankfully, instead of being a cult leader, he’s Town’s manager and listening to him talk fills me with confidence. I’m sure Town’s players will feel just the same.

Talking points for the Manchester United game

Will we be less open than we were against Spurs?

We were taken to pieces in the opening half an hour against Spurs, partly because of their breathtaking attackers but also because we left ourselves too exposed at the back. This game will show if we’ve learned from our mistakes.

Mourinho parked the bus at Anfield last weekend, to earn the Red Devils a point  but I suspect they’ll not show the same respect to little old Huddersfield. We need to be prepared to soak up pressure against one of the divisions best teams.

On the other hand, setting up to defend could be a recipe for disaster too. We’ve got where we are by playing a high-pressing, high-tempo brand of football that unsettles the opposition and gets us in possession in dangerous areas by forcing mistakes. I’d like to see us still press Man United’s defence but perhaps be a bit more reserved in possession.

Will the crowd keep up their undying support?

Huddersfield Town fans are getting a reputation for their vocal and relentless support from the stands. I hope that this will continue on Saturday regardless of the scoreline. Town players get an undoubted boost when they’re backed by the fans, and they’ll need every tiny advantage they get when playing one of the most expensively assembled football teams of all time.

The march to the stadium being organised by the Cowshed Loyal should help to add to the sense of occasion and get the noisiest of our fans in good voice before they’ve even got inside the John Smith’s Stadium.

Reminder we have a march to the match planned for Saturday. Hoping to recreate the Wembley scenes #htafc pic.twitter.com/mYOQ6CgEBS

— Cowshed Loyal (@CowshedLoyal) October 17, 2017

Can Town get a famous victory?

While I’d argue with anyone that Huddersfield Town are now able to compete on level terms with the majority of teams in the Premier League, the top six are at a different level. Saturday is likely to have the feel of a third round FA Cup tie, with Town in the plucky underdog role and Manchester United the incumbents.

Manchester United winning this match will barely register with their fans, apart from it being a potential banana skin avoided. If Town can get anything at all from the game it will be a victory that will last a very long time.

What more motivation does David Wagner need to give to his players than that? Win this match and you’ll be heroes in this little Town for longer than you’ll be alive. That’s the chance that’s on the table.

Will Manchester United be tired after their midweek Champions League trip to Portugal?

The big teams in the Premier League are used to competing on many fronts but injuries in the Manchester United squad mean they may have to field some weary players against Town, or risk untested youngsters. Either way, Town should be fresher than the opposition on Saturday and this may present us with an opportunity.

The best way to test how tired Man United are will be to get in their faces and force them to work hard. If we sit back and let them have the ball they’ll stroke it about at the back and conserve their energy, but if we press them and unsettle their flow then it may expose some tired legs and force some sloppy mistakes.
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Opposition info: Manchester United

Manchester United are currently sat second in the Premier League table and rightly so, Manchester City have been breathtaking at times this year. Manchester United have been very good but haven’t hit the same sensational levels just yet.

The good news for Town fans is that they’re missing a few key players, and Mourinho (despite claiming otherwise) has been moaning to the press about his lack of options. Pogba, Rashford, Fellaini, Carrick, Ibrahimovic, and Rojo are all either out or doubtful for this weekend’s game.

Manchester United started the season strongly, with them scoring four or more goals in six of their games so far. However, they’ve only scored one goal in their last couple of matches. Mourinho shut up shop in a turgid 0-0 with Liverpool last weekend, and scraped a 1-0 away to Benfica in the Champions League on Wednesday.

I’ve watched Manchester United a few times this season and from what I’ve seen their forward line isn’t as threatening as Spurs – they may not be quite as gungho when they come forward. I expect to see more patient buildup play with them dominating possession for long periods.

The games where Man United have won heavily have often involved scoring a glut of goals in the closing minutes, so Town will have to be mindful of not leaving spaces at the back. Our fitness levels are pretty good though, so I can imagine we’ll be able to finish strongly and hopefully avoid an embarrassing scoreline.

Man to watch: Romelu Lukaku

Manchester United knew exactly what they were getting when the paid Everton £75m for Lukaku in the summer. He’s quick, strong, and deadly in front of goal. He gets a bit of stick for not having the finesse of the highest level of European strikers but I think his scoring record shows he’s one of the best strikers in the world.

Zanka and Schindler will have their hands full trying to keep Lukaku quiet on Saturday. His combination of strength and speed will mean both have to get their positioning spot on and be willing to fight for every single ball that comes their way.
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Manchester United v Town history

One of the few teams that Town haven’t met since their last spell in the top flight in the seventies, this game has been a long time coming.

The last meeting of these two sides was back in March 1972, with the red devils beating Town 2-0 at Old Trafford. George Best and Bobby Charlton both played against Town, with Best scoring the opener.

The first meeting of the two sides was also a win to United, a 3-1 FA Cup win in January 1912. We have managed to beat them though, 10 times in fact. However, we’ve lost 20 and drawn 15. So the history books show that Town have nearly always been the underdog in this fixture.

Terrier Spirit prediction 1-0 to Town

Before you dismiss me as a hopeless optimist, I use these predictions like a realistic but ambitious desire for the game, not really the things I think is most likely. If you want to know the most likely outcome go to a bookie’s website and see what they think (1-0 to Town is currently 20/1).

Having said that, Manchester United are missing key players, haven’t been at their fluent best in their last few games, and the atmosphere inside the John Smith’s will give our players a huge boost. These factors, plus a bit of luck on the day, could combine to give us the historic victory that defines our season and turns around our current poor run of form.