Our bite-sized look ahead to Ipswich Town’s home clash with Hudderfield Town in the Championship this Saturday.
When and where?
Saturday, 3pm at Portman Road
What’s the team news?
The big news this week is the loss of Ryan Fraser with a knee injury, which is expected to keep the Scot out of action for a couple of months. Tommy Oar, Larsen Toure or Jay Tabb could all come in to replace him.
For the Terriers, former Norwich striker James Vaughan could return following a calf problem, while Mark Hudson could also make a comeback at the centre of defence.
Who is their manager?
Huddersfield is the second permanent stop on Chris Powell’s managerial journey, having first taken charge of Charlton between 2011 and 2014. The former England left-back won League One while at Valley Parade before losing his job following a poor run of form, but quickly found himself a home at Huddersfield. Since then he’s stabilised a club without the resources of many teams in the second tier.
How have they been getting on so far this season?
Huddersfield currently sit 18th having won just two Championship games so far this season. Those successes came in the form of back-to-back wins over Charlton and Bolton, with those two victories the only occasions they’ve managed more than one goal in a game all season.
Who has the best record in this fixture?
There have only been 41 meetings between these two sides, with the Blues having by far the better record having won 21 compared to the Terriers’ 12. Huddersfield haven’t won at Portman Road since 1996, when a certain Marcus Stewart scored in between two from Andy Payton in a 3-1 away win.
What happened when they met last season?
Powell’s side had the better of things last season, claiming four points compared to just one for the Blues. Nahki Wells scored twice as the visitors came from behind to draw 2-2 at Portman Road in October, before Town’s play-off charge was dented by a 2-1 loss in Yorkshire in April. They still made it into the post season, though.
Who is the ref?
This week’s ref is Andy Davies, who will be taking charge of a game involving Ipswich Town for the first time. He’s spent the last couple of seasons working in League One, with the odd Championship game here and there, and has shown two red cards in eight games in 2015/16.
Who is the Huddersfield danger man?
If the last two meetings between these two sides is the evidence, then you have to say Nahki Wells is the man Town need to watch. The Bermudan international scored three times against Mick McCarthy’s side last season and, aside from his goals, was a general pest. James Vaughan is also a dangerous prospect, as is Welsh youngster Emyr Huws.
What are the bookies saying?
Despite their recent poor form the Blues are still favourites for this at 10/11, with the visitors 16/5 and the draw 11/4. All four of the Blues strikers are priced between 5/1 and 6/1 with Bet365, but which ones actually start is anyone’s guess. Sadly there’s no market for that.
Anything else worth knowing?
There’s only two Tommy Smiths... There could be a little confusion on Saturday if both are on the pitch at the same time. While the Ipswich version is almost certain to start, the Huddersfield Tommy Smith (a right back) has spent the majority of the season on the bench.
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