PREVIEW: AFC BOURNEMOUTH (H)

12 April 2021

Opposition report, team news and more ahead of Tuesday’s game

- Town vs Bournemouth preview
- All the key info ahead of the visit of the Cherries
- Watch the game on iFollow HTAFC

Huddersfield Town will play host at the John Smith’s Stadium for the second time in the space of four days when AFC Bournemouth are the visitors in the Sky Bet Championship on Tuesday 13 April 2021; 17:30 BST kick-off.

The Terriers will be hoping to build on the point taken from Saturday’s draw with Rotherham United in West Yorkshire, when the Cherries make the trip up to HD1 this midweek for the first of Town's final six Championship matches this campaign.

Ahead of the midweek clash with Bournemouth, we’ve rounded up everything you need to know…

THE OPPOSITION

Off the back of relegation from the Premier League last season, Jonathan Woodgate’s side will have eyes on making an instant return to the top-flight a reality over the coming weeks.

The Cherries currently sit just inside the Play-Off places, along with a game in hand on three of the five teams above them, following an impressive 4-1 win over Coventry City at the weekend.

It means that the south coast club have taken a total of 68 points from their 40 matches in the Championship this season.

26 of those points have come from 13 games under Head Coach Jonathan Woodgate, who took over from the departed Jason Tindall in early February before being confirmed as the Cherries boss until the end of the season later that month.

Under Woodgate, Bournemouth have won their last four league matches and also recently competed in the last-eight of the Emirates FA Cup, going out to Premier League side and south coast rivals Southampton in March.

The Cherries away record under the former Real Madrid and Tottenham Hotspur defender has also been pretty strong ahead of their visit to West Yorkshire, losing just once on the road during in his two-month tenure.

ONES TO WATCH

Asmir Begović

Following recent loan spells at Azerbaijani side Qarabağ FK and Serie A's Milan, the 33-year-old has returned to the Vitality Stadium this season and impressed as the Cherries’ first-choice goalkeeper. Begović, who signed from Chelsea in May 2017 having won the Premier League title in the previous season with the Blues, has played his part in Bournemouth’s push for an immediate return to the top flight with 15 clean sheets in the league this campaign. The goalkeeper, who has also 63 caps for Bosnia and Herzegovina, has the Championship's second highest save percentage, stopping 76.3% of the shots he’s faced so far this season.

Arnaut Danjuma

The Dutch winger has enjoyed a breakthrough season on the south coast, netting 13 goals and providing six assists, a joint-team-high across both categories so far in the Cherries’ 2020/21 Championship campaign. The former PSV and Club Brugge player has also been on particular form of late, providing six goals and four assists in his last six league outings. That form has seen him named the club’s Player of the Month for March, while also being nominated for the league-wide award for the month.

Dominic Solanke

Solanke also sits joint-top of Bournemouth’s goal and assist output in the league this campaign with 13 goals and six assists to his name. The 23-year-old, who has had spells with both Chelsea and Liverpool, has posted the best goalscoring season of his career to date with those numbers, almost doubling his previous high at senior level with Dutch side Vitesse in 2015/16 (7). The most recent of the forward’s strikes this campaign came in the Cherries' 4-1 win over Coventry City at the weekend.

FORM GUIDE

The Terriers will be hoping to build on the point taken from Saturday’s 0-0 draw with Rotherham United at the John Smith’s Stadium.

Town have only lost one of the last seven, despite that heavy defeat at Norwich City last week, and are unbeaten in five on home soil.

As for the visitors, they come into the game off the back of the aforementioned 4-1 victory against Coventry at the weekend.

Jonathan Woodgate’s side have won their last four Sky Bet Championship matches, losing just one of their last eight league outings.

PREVIOUS ENCOUNTERS

Town edge the record with the Cherries by one ahead of Tuesday’s fixture, winning 19 of the 54 meetings in the fixture to Bournemouth’s 18 (17 draws).

Tuesday’s visitors have had the better of the recent battles however, winning in each of the last three encounters between the two sides, including December’s reverse fixture at the Vitality Stadium.

The Terriers’ last victory against the south coast side came in February 2018; a 4-1 win at the John Smith’s Stadium in the Premier League. Check out the highlights from that day below!

ACTION ELSEWHERE

Our game against the Cherries is one of three Sky Bet Championship matches on Tuesday evening.

Tuesday 13 April 2021

HUDDERSFIELD TOWN vs AFC Bournemouth (5.30pm BST)

Sheffield Wednesday vs Cardiff City (6pm BST)

Rotherham United vs Queens Park Rangers (7pm BST)

TEAM NEWS

Head Coach Carlos Corberán will provide the latest team news ahead of Tuesday’s game during his pre-match press conference on Monday 12 April 2021.

KIT

Town will be sporting the famous blue-and-white striped home kit for the midweek encounter – CLICK HERE to get yours!

HOW TO WATCH

With the game being played behind-closed-doors, Town Season Card holders will be able to watch the match for FREE on iFollow HTAFC.

If you aren’t a Season Card Holder, then you can purchase a match pass for £10!

Please note that this game will NOT be available via Sky Sports’ red button. This is due to the EFL’s and Sky Sports’ broadcast agreement.

Match Reports

REPORT: TOWN 1–2 AFC BOURNEMOUTH

13 April 2021

Despite a late Jonathan Hogg header, Huddersfield Town were beaten 2-1 by AFC Bournemouth in the Sky Bet Championship.

Philip Billing and Dominic Solanke had given the Cherries a two-goal lead at the break before Hogg’s late effort, with the visitors holding on in the final stages to take all three points from the John Smith’s Stadium.

There were two changes to the XI that had drawn with Rotherham United three days earlier, with Aaron Rowe and Isaac Mbenza coming into the side for the midweek encounter.

When the game got underway in the early evening sunshine in West Yorkshire, it was Town who had the game’s first real opportunity.

Back in the side, Rowe was looking to make an immediate impact. The Academy graduate, featuring from the left, drove into the box before firing into the near side-netting of Asmir Begović’s goal.

It was a positive start by the Terriers, but the visitors were also showing their quality at the other end and found their way through for the opener on 15 minutes.

After Arnaut Danjuma’s original shot was saved by Ryan Schofield, former Town midfielder Philip Billing was in the right place to follow up and head in the game’s first goal.

Having found the net moments earlier, Billing tried his luck at a second from outside the penalty area but this time his shot fell wide of the target, having been deflected behind.

Rowe was continuing to provide Town’s biggest threat at a goal when the game moved into the opposite half.

This time, after being found by a perfect cross-field ball by Jonathan Hogg, the Terriers' no.29 again cut inside before producing a necessary save from Begović at his near post, who turned the ball behind on the dive.

From the resulting corner, it was Hogg who was firing at goal himself. The corner from the left dropped to the man wearing Town’s captain’s armband, with the midfielder catching the ball sweetly but his strike was met with a good block.

Down the other end, the Cherries squandered a huge chance to double their advantage. David Brooks drove to the byline before pulling the ball back for Danjuma who fired over from the centre of the box.

Just before the break, the visitors did get a second, however. After Town had given the ball away high up the pitch, Dominic Solanke picked up the ball before finding the top corner with the finish.

After the interval, the Terriers looked to make an instant response and nearly did through Lewis O’Brien. The midfielder linked up well with Rowe down the left before firing against the woodwork on the run.

At the other end, Billing came close to a second of the afternoon and a third for Bournemouth, glancing a whipped free-kick from the left just wide of the target.

With just under 15 minutes left to play, Town were handed a lifeline by Hogg. Town’s no.6, who had gone close earlier in the evening, met a corner from the right at the near post with his flicked header across the goal nestling inside the side-netting to get the Terriers back into the contest.

Schofield had to ensure that opportunity to get back on level terms remained, shortly after, leaping to get a hand on substitute Sam Surridge’s effort from close range after the forward was found from the left with a low cross.

But despite a late push from Town, including a shout for a penalty, the visitors held on to condemn the Terriers to a first home defeat in six.

Next up for the Terriers is a trip to the City Ground to face Nottingham Forest in the Sky Bet Championship on Saturday 17 April 2021; 12.30pm kick-off.

HUDDERSFIELD TOWN (4-3-3)

Ryan Schofield; Lewis O’Brien, Naby Sarr, Richard Keogh, Rarmani Edmonds-Green (Danny Ward, 54’); Jonathan Hogg (c), Duane Holmes (Jaden Brown, 85’), Juninho Bacuna (Scott High, 71’); Aaron Rowe, Fraizer Campbell (Sorba Thomas, 54’), Isaac Mbenza (Rolando Aarons, 46’)

Unused subs

Joel Pereira; Pipa, Alex Pritchard, Richard Stearman

AFC BOURNEMOUTH (4-2-3-1)

Asmir Begović; Lloyd Kelly, Steve Cook (c), Cameron Carter-Vickers, Adam Smith; Jefferson Lerma, Ben Pearson; Arnaut Danjuma (Junior Stanislas, 72’), Philip Billing, David Brooks (Jack Stacey, 63’); Dominic Solanke (Sam Surridge, 87’)

Unused subs

Mark Travers; Chris Mepham, Jack Wilshere, Rodrigo Riquelme, Diego Rico, Jaidon Athony

REFEREE

Jeremy Simpson