Huddersfield Town digest: Three back in training after long-term lay-offs
Plus all the latest news, match preview and predicted line-up for Saturday's home clash with Wigan Athletic
What’s been said
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Huddersfield Town will host Saturday’s 12:30pm kick off against Wigan Athletic, who currently sit three points and two points behind the Terriers in the table.
Wigan are currently enjoying the joint-longest unbeaten run in the division after going six League One games without defeat. The Latics have specialised in tight, low-scoring games over the past couple of months: all but one of their past eight league games have finished either 0-0, 1-1 or 1-0 in either direction.
Town and Luton (9 each) are the only sides to have outscored Wigan (8) from non-penalty set pieces this season, but unlike Huddersfield, Wigan have also been adept at keeping them out at the other end.
Wigan have however struggled to make the most of their chances this season, scoring just 20 goals from an expected goals of 27. Only three other sides (Burton, Doncaster and Port Vale) have been more wasteful.
Town, for the record, are the most bang-on performers against their expected goals scored this season, but have the biggest underperformance against xG when it comes to keeping shots out at the other end, shipping 28 goals from an xG against of 23.36.
We’ll have five conclusions on the game for our paying subscribers first thing on Sunday morning, followed by further reaction to that game and the 1-1 draw away to Northampton in Monday morning’s podcast. Get signed up not if you’re not already.
Huddersfield Town injuries and absences
Lynden Gooch and Ruben Roosken both missed Tuesday’s trip to Northampton through illness. Gooch is a bit ahead of Roosken in his recovery but ‘both of them are in the right direction’. As of Thursday afternoon there is no new illness in the camp.
Ryan Ledson has served his one-match ban for picking up five yellow cards. Town are now past the cut-off point for the five yellow cards rule.
The limit is now that any player who gets 10 League One yellow cards up to and including the 37th league game of the season gets a two-match ban. Ledson and Marcus Harness have the most league bookings for Town with five each; Herbie Kane has the next-most, with three.
Jack Whatmough is closing in on a return from his calf injury, while Marcus McGuane continues to work his way back from a groin injury.
Will Alves (foot), Herbie Kane (groin) and Zepiqueno Redmond (knee) are all back in individual training but all three have a way to go before they will be available for selection.
Antony Evans (knee) and Mickel Miller (hamstring) are both expected to be out for the next couple of months.
Predicted line-up to face Wigan Athletic
4-4-2: Lee Nicholls; Lasse Sorensen, Josh Feeney, Joe Low, Sean Roughan; Leo Castledine, Marcus Harness, Ryan Ledson, Cameron Ashia; Alfie May, Bojan Radulovic.
Substitutes: Owen Goodman, Murray Wallace, Lynden Gooch, Ruben Roosken, Ben Wiles, Dion Charles, Joe Taylor.
Huddersfield Town Women
League leaders Town Women are set to travel to face Doncaster Rovers Belles on Sunday afternoon.
The Belles are currently second from bottom in the table and on a ten-game losing streak in all competitions.
And finally
Terriers fans have been asked to donate new and unwrapped toys as Christmas presents for underprivileged local children as part of Cash For Kids’ Mission Christmas campaign. Donations can be made at the Town club shop during opening hours, with donation points also available at the stadium’s Community Hub before the Wigan game.
In addition, at the Wigan game, HTSA will be running a foodbank collection point at the St Andrew’s Road entrance, opposite the burger van, from 11am to 12:30pm. All donations will go to The Welcome Centre. Alternatively, you can make a monetary donation to the Welcome Centre via their Aviva match-funding campaign, which will see all donations up to £250 matched by the Aviva community fund until Christmas Eve.
Lee Grant has been nominated for League One manager of the month for November, with the winner set to be announced on Friday morning. Town won three, drew one and lost one across their league and Trophy games last month. The other nominees are Wycombe’s Michael Duff, Barnsley’s Conor Hourihane and Reading’s Leam Richardson.