Huddersfield Town will be looking to rekindle their winning form as they take on Preston North End at Deepdale looking to grab a win to get their season back on track, as they sit just seven points above the relegation zone. Another set back at the weekend could result in Town dropping down to 20th position in the Championship having prevailed in just one of their most recent ten fixtures in the second tier.

Carlos Corberan will be looking to address matters before turning his eyes to their vital bottom of the table clash against Birmingham City on Tuesday night. The Terriers face a roster of uneasy fixtures in March, with Birmingham and Cardiff City to follow before taking on Queen Park Rangers in London and Sheffield Wednesday away at Hillsborough. 

Preston are the hosts at Deepdale, sitting in 14th place with no win in their last three, positioned in mid table since the turn of the year. Having only bagged all three points on one occasion in their last seven attempts, Preston have slumped after a good start to the season. Alex Neil now faces a difficult job to keep his team in contention for the playoffs.

11 points from the drop zone of the Sky Bet Championship, they could go as high as 11th place if results go in their favour. The Lilywhites have played the same amount of games as the Terriers going into this one, led under manager Alex Neil. Preston have enjoyed playing an attractive style of football building an identity in the process especially after having a successful season last year, just narrowly missing out on the play-offs.

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  • Team news

Huddersfield boss Carlos Corberan would have been furious with his team's performance in their 2-0 defeat against Derby County, where they just had one shot on target in the entire match, despite having the share of possession. The Terriers will be without Jaden Brown who was sent off late in the previous match, he will serve a one match ban after his dismissal at Pride Park. Left-back Harry Toffolo returned from suspension, but will be sidelined with injury until April.

The biggest team news is the new signing of former Arsenal man Yaya Sanogo who will hope to revive his career back in England. He may be considered for an immediate debut if Fraizer Campbell fails to shake off an abdominal problem. Corberan may revert back to a 3-4-3 formation after Isaac Mbenza made his return from the substitutes bench in midweek. Aaron Rowe will continue at left wing back in the absence of the injured Harry Toffolo.   

As far as Preston are concerned, Ched Evans could drop out of the Starting XI after failing to score in his last four outings, potentially leading to a start for Emil Riis Jakobsen. Tom Barkhuizen and Daniel Johnson are also pushing for recalls in the final third as Neil looks for solutions to his side's lack of goals.   

  • Predicted line-ups

Preston North End: (4-2-3-1): Iverson; Browne, Storey, Hughes, Cunningham; Whiteman, Molumby; Potts, Johnson, Gordon; Riis Jakobsen

Huddersfield Town: (4-3-3): Schofield; Pipa, Keogh, Sarr, Rowe; Bacuna, Vallejo, O’Brien; Mbenza, Campbell, Holmes

  • Form guide

Since the high feeling of beating Swansea City, Town were unable to make it back to back wins after a poor performance against Derby County away from home. Goals from George Edmundson and Martin Waghorn sent the West Yorkshire outfit back empty handed. Despite the emphatic 4-1 victory against Swansea which was a brief high point, it is away from home where the Terriers have had issues, only two wins on their travels this season away from the John Smith Stadium.

Preston on the other hand come into the game looking to put an end to their recent run of five home games without a win. This comes after the Lilywhites 0-0 draw with Queens Park Rangers in their last game at Deepdale, although they ended a two match losing streak in this game. Previous to this they were defeated 4-0 at the Cardiff City stadium and suffered a 1-0 defeat at the hands of Watford on home soil. Neither team have any sort of momentum heading into this match-up, so a scrappy affair could be expected. 

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  • Previous meetings 

Last time out Town lost 2-1 to Preston, a red card by Naby Sarr in the 78th minute summed up a grim game for the West Yorkshire outfit. Town took the lead through Fraizer Campbell in the early stages, before Alan Browne grabbed a brace in quick succession in the 51st and 53rd minute making sure of the three points. Both sides pressed respectively with Pipa hitting the post late on, but the red card was seemingly a game changer in how the game played out towards the end. Town's last away win against the Lilywhites came back in November 1969. 

  •  Ones to watch

Aaron Rowe and Kieran Phillips look like stars for the future showing very promising signs in a Town shirt so far under Corberan. The Terriers academy system has been fantastic for all to see and both players have great future's ahead of them. 

Looking to Preston Alan Browne the captain has been virtually ever present in the Lilywhites side missing only four league games this season. The central midfielder committed his long term future to the club earlier this month, signing a new three and half year deal to keep him at Deepdale.

Scott Sinclair has been a good signing for the Lilywhites from Celtic. He joined in January 2020 after a four year stint in Scotland. The winger has a wealth of experience at the highest level and has impressed during his time with Preston. The 31-year-old is the club's top goal scorer this season with eight, being utilised right across the front three.   

  • How to watch

The clash kicks off at 15.00 (GMT) and will be broadcasted live on Huddersfield Town iFollow in the UK.

Corberan spoke to club media. When asked about Preston's results this year. He said:

"I think Preston is a team that I always respect a lot because I respect the coach a lot. He has a clear determination about what they want to do. They had a fantastic season last year, with a lot of the players they have right now. They are a team with ideas, very focused and very concentrated making a high press. I can imagine a very challenging game."   

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