By Nathan Findlay – KLTV Contributor
Huddersfield Town will be up against Reading F.C. at the John Smiths Stadium for their first game of the new year on Saturday 2 January. K.O. 3 pm.
Huddersfield Town
Huddersfield is currently sitting 12th place in the table. After a rough start to the season, they are now only six points away from a playoff position.
In the Terriers last game, they nabbed a late win against Blackburn thanks to a last-minute winner from Naby Sarr.
The extra two points along with the win were likely a big morale booster for the squad, which will be crucial going into this match.
Huddersfield will be certainly looking to carry on their home winning streak, having won their past five home games.
Reading
Reading is currently 6th in the Championship table. They played Swansea to a draw in their last game and will likely be hungry for a win to keep themselves up in the table.
Reading is clearly a dedicated team and Terries are going to have to really push their limits to get the 3 points.
A key player that will be looking to return to the Reading starting 11 is John Swift. Following his injury, in September he has been substituted on twice.
Carlos Corberán
Speaking at the pre-match press conference, Huddersfield Town Manager Carlos Corberán reflected on the importance of adaptation, especially in the Championship.
He said: “We need to be adapting to every game, with certain injuries and certain players missing games. If we lose a player for one game then we need to adapt to that.
“It is rewarding for the players the first hour after you get the three points.
“They can see the reward that they have gained from the game. The day after you need to prepare for the new scenario.”
When asked whether another break in matches played to help combat Covid-19 would be helpful, Mr Corberán said: “It would be positive to see the 2 weeks break from football for both beating COVID and to get the fans back into the stadiums.”
Speaking on Richard Stearman’s injury, Mr Corberán responded that he will need at least one more month and that he is working very hard to get back to full fitness.
He added: “I am conscious that every decision I make in the club must have a meaning
“There are lots of things that we can do better and there are lots of things that we are doing well.
Transfer News
With the start of the new year comes the January Transfer Window, and Carlos Corberán’s first as Huddersfield Town’s Manager.
In the press conference, Mr Corberán hinted that the Terriers may be in the market for a couple of new centre-backs with Richard Stearman and Christopher Schindler both out with their long-term injuries.
Predictions
Looking at both teams and their recent form I believe it’s going to be a very tight game that could go honestly either way.
The last time that Reading and Town matched up the result was 0-0 with the Terries having the statistics in their favour.
Huddersfield held 62% possession and had four more shots than reading. Since then, I think that both teams have improved in many ways.
Towns performance this season has certainly had its difficulties but with Huddersfield being on a 5-home win streak I could see them putting up a robust performance.
Therefore I predict: