Dec 12, 2015 at 3pm UK at ​John Smith's Stadium
Attendance: 13,255
HuddersfieldHuddersfield Town
1-2
Bristol City
Bunn (84')
Dempsey (64')
FT(HT: 0-2)
Kodjia (7'), Flint (29')
Agard (83'), Bryan (89')

Preview: Huddersfield Town vs. Bristol City

Sports Mole previews the Championship clash between Huddersfield Town and Bristol City.

Huddersfield Town will hope to move further away from the Championship relegation zone as they take on fellow strugglers Bristol City.

The Terriers picked up their first victory under new manager David Wagner last weekend, while City have won only once in their last six games.


Huddersfield Town

Dean Whitehead of Huddersfield Town during the Sky Bet Championship match between Huddersfield Town and Nottingham Forest at John Smiths Stadium on September 24, 2015 in Huddersfield, England. © Getty Images

New manager David Wagner has insisted that his Huddersfield side have responded in recent weeks and are showing signs of improvement.

Their 2-0 victory at Birmingham City, thanks to goals from Nakhi Wells and Joe Lolley, was their first since mid-October.

It also marks a potential turn in form, having lost five of the previous six in the Championship, dropping into the relegation zone before the win at St Andrew's.

Wagner will be hoping to tighten up Huddersfield's defence in the longer term, with the Terriers having conceded 28 goals so far this season.

They have been further boosted by the short-term loan signing of Bournemouth defender Elliot Ward.

However, Town are going to be without midfielder Dean Whitehead until February after he picked up a knee injury against Birmingham.

Recent form: LDLLLW


Bristol City

Luke Ayling of Bristol City during the Pre Season Friendly match between Bath City and Bristol City at Twerton Park on July 10, 2015© Getty Images

Robins defender Luke Ayling has admitted that City's squad are desperate to pick up a win at Huddersfield and "repay the faith" shown in them by manager Steve Cotterill.

Meanwhile, Cotterill has insisted that he will never give up on his players, despite his side still only being just above the bottom three.

However, City are very much a side out of form, with their last win against Wolverhampton Wanderers more than a month ago.

They did hold promotion-chasing Hull City to a 1-1 draw, but defeats away to Rotherham United and last weekend's 2-0 loss at Ashton Gate against Blackburn Rovers have left the Robins fourth from bottom.

City's upcoming fixture list could exacerbate their winless streak, with Derby County, Queens Park Rangers, Burnley and Reading to come in their next six games.

The West Country outfit will at least have a sizeable travelling support present at the John Smith's Stadium for Saturday's six-pointer, with many taking advantage of cut-price tickets.

Recent form: LWDDLL


Team News

Joe Bryan of Bristol City during the Sky Bet Championship match between Bristol City and Burnley at Ashton Gate on August 29, 2015© Getty Images

As mentioned, Huddersfield will be without Whitehead for at least eight weeks with a knee injury.

On the bright side, Ward could be drafted into the defence after completing his loan switch this week.

Nathan Baker's sending off against Blackburn means that the Aston Villa loanee will be missing for the trip to Yorkshire.

His absence will mean that Cotterill is likely to choose between Liam Moore or recalling Joe Bryan at left-back and moving Derrick Williams into the centre of defence.

Meanwhile, Marlon Pack could return in midfield after a one-game ban.

Huddersfield Town possible starting lineup:
Steer; Smith, Cranie, Ward, Chilwell; Carayol, Scannell, Paterson, Huws; Lolley, Wells

Bristol City possible starting lineup:
Fielding; Bennett, Ayling, Flint, Moore; Williams, Smith, Pack, Freeman; Agard, Kodjia


Head To Head

City's overall record against the Terriers is somewhat mixed, having won 17 and lost 24 of the previous 52 encounters.

However, the Robins' recent form against Huddersfield is poor, with four defeats in the last six meetings.

The West Country outfit's last win at the John Smith's Stadium came back in March 2003, when goals from Matt Hill and Lee Peacock gave them a 2-1 victory against the Yorkshiremen.


Sports Mole Logo 40px height

We say: Huddersfield 2-1 Bristol City

Over the last few weeks, neither side has shown the ability to string together form. However, Huddersfield's victory over Birmingham could prove to be a turning point under Wagner and they will hope to pick up three more points this weekend.


Who will win Saturday's Championship clash between Huddersfield Town and Bristol City?

Huddersfield Town
Bristol City
Draw
Huddersfield Town
65.5%
Bristol City
21.1%
Draw
13.4%
Marlon Pack of Bristol City during the Pre Season Friendly match between Bath City and Bristol City at Twerton Park on July 10, 2015
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TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Burnley402114563333077
2Middlesbrough39237954252976
3Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton402015556381875
4Hull City392091054272769
5Sheffield WednesdaySheff Weds401814859372268
6Derby CountyDerby401813956371967
7Cardiff CityCardiff40161595142963
8Ipswich TownIpswich401612124644260
9Birmingham CityBirmingham391511134339456
10Preston North EndPreston401414123938156
11Queens Park RangersQPR401216125047352
12Wolverhampton WanderersWolves401313144852-452
13Reading391312144544151
14Brentford39147185460-649
15Leeds UnitedLeeds391115133948-948
16Blackburn RoversBlackburn401113163940-146
17Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest401113163541-646
18Huddersfield TownHuddersfield40129195257-545
19Fulham401014166166-544
20Bristol City401111184163-2244
21Rotherham UnitedRotherham40127214764-1743
22MK Dons40910213455-2137
23Charlton AthleticCharlton40812203670-3436
24Bolton WanderersBolton40414223772-3526