Sports Mole previews Saturday’s League One clash between Crawley Town and Huddersfield Town, including predictions, team news and possible lineups.
Huddersfield Town will travel to take on Crawley Town on Saturday in an important game at both ends of the League One table.
The visitors sit just one point outside of the playoff spots thanks to a return to form in recent weeks, while their visitors moved up to 21st spot with a midweek draw.
Match preview
© Imago
Crawley Town will look to jump out of the League One relegation zone on Saturday, having narrowed the gap to safety in midweek after a tough start to the season.
Following their promotion through the League One playoffs last time around, the Red Devils currently sit 21st in England’s third tier with just 11 points on the board from their first 14 outings.
That is largely down to a nine-match winless streak which produced just a single point between mid-August and mid-October, across spells under the management of Scott Lindsey, Ben Gladwin and new permanent boss Rob Elliot, who took the reins at the beginning of last month.
His tenure began with four league defeats alongside an important 3-0 triumph over Lincoln City, before they most recently visited basement side Burton Albion on Tuesday and picked up a second draw of the campaign as neither side managed to break the deadlock.
Now heading back onto home turf, where they have managed seven points from seven third-tier games thus far, Crawley Town will bid to record a second victory under Elliot and leapfrog Leyton Orient, who only lead the bottom four on goal difference.
© Imago
They face a tough test, though, as the visitors arrive aiming to make it five games unbeaten in League One to move back into the top six.
Following their relegation from the Championship last time around and the summer appointment of Michael Duff, Huddersfield Town have experienced a mixed start to the campaign, picking up seven victories and suffering five defeat in their first 13 outings.
A run of four straight losses across September and early October saw the Terriers quickly drop down the table, but they appear to have returned to form since, firstly picking up home wins against Barnsley and Bristol Rovers before taking a point from a goalless stalemate away at high-flying Wrexham.
Aiming to make it four games unbeaten and 10 points across those matches, Duff’s men most recently hosted Exeter City in England’s third tier and returned to winning ways, as Matty Pearson and Ben Wiles netted goals in a 2-0 triumph, only to visit non-league Tamworth in the FA Cup first round on Friday and drop out following a 1-0 defeat.
Now aiming to put that disappointment behind them and turn their focus back to their promotion bid, Huddersfield Town will look to record a third away victory of the League One campaign on Saturday with just a one-point gap up to sixth spot and a two-point gap up to fourth-placed Mansfield Town.
Crawley Town League One form:
Crawley Town form (all competitions):
Huddersfield Town League One form:
Huddersfield Town form (all competitions):
Team News
© Imago
Crawley Town will remain without defenders Dion Conroy, who has missed the entirety of the season with an injury thus far, and Josh Flint, who has been out since their 3-0 defeat to Northampton Town.
In his absence, Joy Mukena, Toby Mullarkey and Charlie Barker will continue in a back three after their midweek clean sheet, while Panutche Camara will hope to earn a starting spot in the midfield alongside either or Max Anderson.
Rushian Hepburn-Murphy and Armando Quitirna, who has netted a team-high tally of four league goals so far this term, will both hope to come into the attack from the outset, after Gavan Holohan and Ronan Darcy supported Will Swan against Burton Albion on Tuesday.
After rotating for last week’s trip to Tamworth, Michael Duff could revert to the same Huddersfield Town starting XI from their 2-0 win over Exeter City last time out in League One, with defenders Lasse Sorensen and Michal Helik and goalkeeper Lee Nicholls set to remain sidelined.
Matty Pearson, Nigel Lonwijk and Tom Lees should again line up in a back three, while Herbie Kane will likely rejoin Ben Wiles and David Kasumu in the midfield.
Oliver Turton will continue on the right-hand side in Sorensen’s absence, while Callum Marshall, Bojan Radulovic, Freddie Ladapo, Danny Ward and Josh Koroma will all compete to start up front.
Crawley Town possible starting lineup:
Trueman; Mullarkey, Mukena, Barker; Forster, Camara, Anderson, Kelly; Quitirna, Darcy; Swan
Huddersfield Town possible starting lineup:
Chapman; Lees, Pearson, Lonwijk; Turton, Wiles, Kasumu, Kane, Miller; Marshall, Koroma
We say: Crawley Town 0-2 Huddersfield Town
Aside from last Friday’s cup disappointment, Huddersfield Town appear to be growing in confidence under Michael Duff and should return to the top six with another victory against a Crawley Town side struggling at both ends of the pitch.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
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