An in-depth look at Town's next Sky Bet Championship opponent
- Norwich City vs Huddersfield Town
- Saturday 23 December 2023, 3pm kick-off
- Full preview of what to expect from the Canaries
The Terriers play their final game before Christmas on Saturday, making the long journey to the south east to take on Norwich City in the Sky Bet Championship.
Town come into this game on the back of last weekend’s draw at Millwall, when Delano Burgzorg’s 97thminute penalty secured what felt like a deserved point at the Den.
Norwich, led by former Town boss David Wagner, have enjoyed a great recent run of results that has lifted them out of a challenging period.
THE OPPOSITION
Norwich come into the game on the back of four wins, two draws and only one defeat in their last seven Sky Bet Championship games.
They are a very potent attacking force, and sit third top scorers in the division coming into Saturday’s fixture. However, they also have the second worst defensive record in the Championship.
City come into Saturday’s game in 10th place in the division, with 31 points from 22 games.
THEIR MANAGER
A man who needs no introduction to Town fans, David Wagner has been back in England since 6 January 2023, when he rejoined former colleague and now-former Norwich Sporting Director Stuart Webber at the club.
It was his first return to these shores after leading us to the Premier League, with subsequent spells in his native Germany with Schalke and then in Switzerland leading Young Boys.
LAST TIME OUT
Norwich’s last game was a big one, as they made their shortest trip of the season to take on fierce rivals – and one of the league’s pace-setters – Ipswich Town in their first big derby game of the season, and first for five years.
The hosts took the lead through Nathan Broadhead, but Norwich’s major success story this season, Jonathan Rowe, scored a quickfire double to put the Canaries ahead. In the end they had to settle for a draw, with Wes Burns equalising for the Tractor Boys.
Previous Starting XI (4-2-3-1):
Angus Gunn; Jack Stacey, Shane Duffy, Kenny McLean ©, Sam McCallum; Gabriel Sara, Marcelino Núñez; Jonathan Rowe, Ashley Barnes, Borja Sainz; Adam Idah
FORMATION
Those familiar with David Wagner’s Huddersfield Town side will instantly recognise the 4-2-3-1 shape that the former USA international is currently deploying at Norwich City.
Full backs such as Jack Stacey and Sam McCallum will add attacking width whenever possible, whilst interesting a trade central midfielder in Kenny McLean has been playing at centre back alongside Shane Duffy.
In midfield, Gabriel Sara in particular has been a particular influence in this team – he currently has eight assists and five Sky Bet Championship goals.
Ashley Barnes, formerly of Burnley, has been playing a deeper ‘number 10’ role – think of the positions the likes of Kasey Palmer and Izzy Brown used to take up for us.
Up front, Adam Idah leads the line well in direct fashion, whilst wingers Borja and Jonathan Rowe have also been in fine form of late. They add goals as well as creativity, as we saw in our first meeting this season at the John Smith’s Stadium.
WHO TO WATCH
Jonathan Rowe
Still only 20 years old, Rowe has firmly established himself as one of the most exciting young talents in the country through his performances this season.
Playing off the left and right sides, he has contributed an impressive 10 Sky Bet Championship goals to David Wagner’s side so far this season.
A product of Norwich’s impressive Academy system, he turned professional in October 2021 but made his serious breakthrough at the start of this campaign, with five goals in the first five games of the campaign earning him the EFL Young Player of the Month trophy in August.
Gabriel Sara
24-year-old Brazilian Sara joined Norwich in the summer of 2022 for a reported initial fee of £6 million, committing to a contract until 2026.
He was named the Championship’s Player of the Month in August after an impressive start and that has continued, with eight assists and five Championship goals to his name.
Having played in a more advanced midfield position previously, he has dropped down the pitch to a more defensively responsible slot in a midfield two this season.
Shane Duffy
Due to turn 32 on New Year’s Day, centre back Duffy is a vastly experienced campaigner who plays an important role in this Norwich side.
Standing at 6’ 4” tall, the defender moved from his native Ireland early in his career to join Everton and played a handful of games for the Toffees before eventually moving to Blackburn Rovers. He subsequently played over 150 games for Brighton before a short permanent spell at Fulham preceded his move to Carrow Road in 2023.
TOWN TEAM NEWS
Town boss Darren Moore will give updated team news when he speaks to the media at the Millers Oils High Performance Complex at 9.30am on Friday 22 December 2023.
Supporters will be able to watch the conference live on HTTV to hear the latest team news as it’s shared.
KIT
The Terriers will sport the all black third kit at Carrow Road on Saturday.
Supporters still have plenty of time to get theirs before Christmas, with our Club Shop open each day in the run up to 25 December!
CLICK HERE to browse online.
TICKET NEWS
You can access full ticket information for Saturday’s game at Norwich by clicking HERE.
iFOLLOW HTAFC
Due to the traditional Saturday 3pm kick-off time, video match passes for this fixture will not be available in the United Kingdom, but will be purchasable abroad.
Supporters who still want to follow every second of the game can purchase an audio match pass and not miss a second of the game!
CLICK HERE to find out more.
