PREVIEW: DERBY COUNTY (H)

18 October 2020

A look ahead to Tuesday night’s game

- Town vs Derby preview
- The ones to watch on Philip Cocu’s side
- Watch the game on iFollow HTAFC

Huddersfield Town return to action with Derby County the visitors to the John Smith’s Stadium for a Sky Bet Championship encounter on Tuesday 20 October 2020; 7.45pm kick-off.

Carlos Corberán’s side will be hoping to stretch their unbeaten run to four league matches under the floodlights in West Yorkshire.

The Terriers go into the game off the back of a 2-1 win at Swansea City in the first game back after the international break at the weekend.

It’s the first of two home games in a week for Town who face the Rams on Tuesday before hosting Preston North End on Saturday.

THE OPPOSITION

Having finished just six points off the play-off places in 2019/20, Philip Cocu’s side will have aspirations on pushing up towards the business end of the table this time around.

Derby Philip Cocu.jpg

They’ve endured a difficult start to the Dutchman’s second season in the East Midlands however, losing four of their opening five Sky Bet Championship fixtures.

Goals have also been hard to come by, with just two to show from those opening five league games, only one of which has come from open play.

One area that the Rams haven’t been short in is incomings, bringing in 13 new names across the transfer window including Colin Kazim-Richards, George Sykes-Kenworthy and Louie Watson on Friday’s deadline day.

FORM GUIDE

As mentioned earlier, the Terriers will be looking to make it four games unbeaten when they face Philip Cocu’s side on Tuesday evening.

That win at Swansea at the weekend backed up a draw at Rotherham and victory over Forest prior to the international break.

As for the visitors, they’ll be looking to get back to winning ways off the back of a 1-0 defeat to Watford last time out.

The Rams’ only league victory so far this campaign also came on the road, at Carrow Road against Norwich City.

ONES TO WATCH

Jason Knight

Having made his professional debut in the corresponding fixture last season, the young midfielder enjoyed a breakthrough season at Pride Park making 35 appearances for the First Team in 2019/20.

This season, Knight is the only one of the Rams’ outfield players to play every minute in the opening five Sky Bet Championship games.

After representing the Republic of Ireland at youth level, the 19-year-old earned his first senior cap in a UEFA Nations League fixture against Finland last Wednesday.

Tom Lawrence

The winger has been a mainstay in the Rams attack since signing from Leicester City back in 2017, scoring 23 goals and producing 18 assists in 125 appearances.

10 of those goals came in last season’s Sky Bet Championship, as Lawrence racked up a double-figure tally in a Rams shirt for the first time in the league.

He scored all three of the visitors’ goals in the two games against Town in last season’s Championship campaign and played his first minutes of the season on Friday night from the bench having recovered from a shoulder injury.

Wayne Rooney

Manchester United and England’s all-time top scorer has been the experienced head in a young Rams side since joining the Club from DC United in January.

Having been appointed Club Captain upon his arrival, the 34-year-old has made an impact in both the dressing room and on the pitch, scoring six times in 2019/20 as the Club made a late-season push for the play-offs and into the fifth round of the Emirates FA Cup.

This season, Rooney has featured in all five of the Club’s Sky Bet Championship and scored the decisive goal in their only league win so far this season, at Norwich City.

PREVIOUS ENCOUNTERS

It’s the visitors who go into the midweek meeting with the better of the record in the fixture, winning 40 of the 96 competitive meetings to Town’s 29.

They’ve also had the edge in recent meetings too, losing just one of the last 11 games between the sides dating back to February 2013.

Town’s last win in the fixture came back in the 2016/17 when Elias Kachunga’s 93rd minute strike gave the Terriers all three points in a second-tier clash at the John Smith’s Stadium.

ACTION ELSEWHERE

Tuesday evening’s meeting with the Rams is one of 12 games in the first round of midweek games in this season’s Sky Bet Championship.

Here’s the full list of fixtures to be played this week (all kick-offs 7.45pm unless stated)…

Tuesday 20 October 2020

Bristol City vs Middlesbrough
Coventry City vs Swansea City
Huddersfield Town vs Derby County
Millwall vs Luton Town
Norwich City vs Birmingham City
Nottingham Forest vs Rotherham United
Reading vs Wycombe Wanderers (8pm KO)

Wednesday 21 October 2020

Cardiff City vs AFC Bournemouth
Queens Park Rangers vs Preston North End
Sheffield Wednesday vs Brentford
Stoke City vs Barnsley
Watford vs Blackburn Rovers

TEAM NEWS

Carlos Corberán will provide an update on his side ahead of Tuesday’s game during his virtual press conference on Tuesday 20 October 2020.

KIT

The Terriers will be back in the blue-and-white striped home kit in midweek – 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!

To do this, you need to make sure your email addresses with the Club match-up, CLICK HERE for more information!

The match is also available on Sky Sports Football on the red button.

If you haven’t got Sky Sports and aren’t a Season Card Holder, then you can purchase a match pass for £10!

Match Reports

REPORT: TOWN 1-0 DERBY

20 October 2020

Back-to-back wins for the Terriers!

Huddersfield Town made it back-to-back wins in the Sky Bet Championship with a 1-0 victory over Derby County at the John Smith’s Stadium.

Juninho Bacuna’s second half goal was the difference in the midweek encounter in West Yorkshire as the Terriers stretched the unbeaten run to four matches.

Carlos Corberán made one change to the Town XI from last time out, with Fraizer Campbell coming back into the side in place of Christopher Schindler.

Jonathan Hogg captained the Terriers for the visit of the Rams whilst Schindler was named on the bench.

Just three days after the win over Swansea City at the Liberty Stadium, Town were back in action in search of successive wins for the first time in the league since February.

Having opened the scoring in that game, the Terriers pushed to repeat the feat again this time under the lights in West Yorkshire.

Pipa came the closest for Town early on, curling an effort with his weaker left foot wide of the target, before Derby put together their first chance through Nathan Byrne, only for a well-timed Richard Stearman block to put an end to that attack.

A period of good pressure for the Terriers followed, as Carel Eiting had a pair of attempts blocked around the edge of the box before another Pipa effort from the right side of the box was stopped by Derby ‘keeper David Marshall.

At the other end, his goalkeeping compatriot Ben Hamer was also doing his best to keep the scores level, producing a good stop to deny Andre Wisdom who had got forward.

Despite most of his work in an end-to-end first half coming defensively, Pipa continued to provide a threat going the other way.

Seconds before the half-time whistle, the Spaniard fizzed a first-time shot over having been found unmarked on the right side of the box by Josh Koroma.

Town’s first chance after the break came courtesy of a Harry Toffolo cross, with Fraizer Campbell inches away from connecting to put the Terriers ahead on the slide.

Toffolo’s next ball into the penalty area was the one that produced the game’s opening goal on 53 minutes.

The left-back’s incisive cutback found the feet of Juninho Bacuna who slotted the ball into the corner to put Town ahead.

At the other end, it was the work of Hamer that kept the Terriers in that lead midway through the second half.

Town’s no.1 showed great focus to keep an eye on Duane Holmes’ low effort, tipping it round the post on the stretch.

Having kept the Rams out at one end, the Terriers nearly extended the lead at the other, as Bacuna turned provider, whipping a dangerous free-kick in from the right meeting the head of Christopher Schindler.

The skipper’s header, in his first attacking involvement since coming on from the bench, found Naby Sarr who saw his looping header tipped over the crossbar by Marshall.

Corberán’s side then survived a big scare in an attempt to see out the game in the final minutes. Martyn Waghorn’s delivery from the left found the head of Matthew Clarke who powered a header against the near post from point blank range.

The chance, the visitors’ biggest of the encounter, also turned out to be their last, as Town held firm to ensure two wins in the space of four days in the Sky Bet Championship.

Next up for Town is a second home game in five days with Preston North End the visitors to the John Smith’s Stadium in the Sky Bet Championship on Saturday 24 October 2020; 3pm kick-off.

HUDDERSFIELD TOWN (4-3-3)
Ben Hamer; Harry Toffolo, Naby Sarr, Richard Stearman, Pipa (Demeaco Duhaney, 78’); Jonathan Hogg, Carel Eiting (Lewis O’Brien, 65’), Juninho Bacuna; Isaac Mbenza (Christopher Schindler, 55’), Fraizer Campbell, Josh Koroma

Unused subs
Joel Pereira; Alex Pritchard, Adama Diakhaby, Jaden Brown

DERBY COUNTY (5-3-2)
David Marshall; Lee Buchanan (Colin Kazim-Richards, 78’), Matthew Clarke, Curtis Davies (c), Andre Wisdom, Nathan Byrne; Graeme Shinnie (Duane Holmes, 65’), Max Bird, Jason Knight; Tom Lawrence (Martyn Waghorn, 65’), Kamil Jóźwiak

Unused subs
Kelle Roos; Craig Forsyth, Mike te Wieirk, Jahmal Hector-Ingram

REFEREE
David Webb