Huddersfield Town begin a new era under Neil Warnock when they host Birmingham City at the John Smith's Stadium in the Championship on Saturday afternoon.
The Terriers are yet to taste success in 2023 and are embroiled in a fight to stay in the second tier, whereas Birmingham are in relative safety currently but will need to improve on their display against Cardiff City last time out.
Match preview
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Huddersfield's new boss Warnock watched on as the Terriers were well-beaten at Stoke City on Wednesday night, in what was in truth a shocking performance from a group of players that have lost all of their confidence since the start of the campaign.
Goals from Phil Jagielka, Jacob Brown and Lewis Baker gave the Potters a comfortable 3-0 victory and likely gave 74-year-old Warnock a lot to think about ahead of his first training session on Thursday morning.
Town are currently 23rd in the second-tier standings, four points from safety and without a win since the 2-0 home success against fellow strugglers Rotherham United back in December.
Warnock has earned promotion eight times in his managerial career, but maintaining Huddersfield's Championship status this season would be one of his greatest achievements, especially considering the Terriers' remaining fixtures.
Huddersfield still have to play nine teams currently occupying a top-10 position in the league, with the schedule between now and May offering up very little games in which Warnock's men will be fancied to collect three points from.
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After an energetic performance against local rivals West Bromwich Albion - which ultimately resulted in a 2-0 victory at St Andrew's - the emphasis was on Birmingham on Tuesday to sweep aside a Cardiff team who had not won a game since November.
However - as many Blues fans had worried about - John Eustace's side produced a limp display versus the Bluebirds and ended up losing following second-half strikes from Perry Ng and Callum Robinson for the visitors from South Wales.
The midfield quartet of Tahith Chong, Hannibal Mejbri, Juninho Bacuna and Krystian Bielik which pressed so effectively against the Baggies was completely bypassed by Cardiff's direct approach on Tuesday night, and when in possession Birmingham seemed devoid of ideas on a less-than-ideal playing surface.
Back-to-back wins against Swansea City and West Brom before Tuesday's Cardiff defeat have distanced Blues from a relegation battle, with Eustace's men 18th in the Championship table, possessing an eight-point advantage over 22nd-placed Wigan Athletic.
Birmingham may relish being on the road this weekend where there is less expectation to take the game to their opponents, although a trip to face Huddersfield in their first match under the stewardship of Warnock is unlikely to be a pleasant experience, even if Blues return to the Second City with maximum points.
Team News
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Huddersfield will be without the services of centre-back William Boyle on Saturday after the 27-year-old was dismissed in the defeat at Stoke - a real blow to Warnock's side considering the amount of defenders currently sidelined with injury.
Right-back Matthew Pearson is a doubt after being forced off inside 30 minutes in Staffordshire on Wednesday night, with Matthew Lowton expected to replace him in the starting XI on Saturday.
Midfielder Jonathan Hogg played as a makeshift centre-back following Boyle's red card last time out, and the 34-year-old could be given a role in the backline from the start against Birmingham.
Birmingham remain without attacker Reda Khadra for their trip to Yorkshire on Saturday as the German continues to recover from a hamstring injury sustained in the dramatic 4-3 win at Swansea, with Eustace hopeful of having the player back for the game at Norwich City on Tuesday.
Kevin Long missed Blues' defeat to Cardiff in the week due to illness, but the ex-Burnley man returned to first-team training on Thursday and is set to compete with Harlee Dean for the place between Dion Sanderson and Auston Trusty in a possible back three for the visitors.
Youngsters Jobe Bellingham and Tate Campbell are sidelined due to muscle and stomach injuries respectively, with the former last featuring for Blues in the home defeat to Middlesbrough at the start of January.
Huddersfield Town possible starting lineup:
Vaclik; Lowton, Hogg, Lees, Headley; Rudoni, Kasumu, High, Knockaert; Waghorn, Rhodes
Birmingham City possible starting lineup:
Ruddy; Sanderson, Dean, Trusty; Colin, Bielik, Hall, Gardner, Longelo; Deeney, Hogan
We say: Huddersfield Town 1-1 Birmingham City
Huddersfield will be hoping for the biggest of new-manager bounces as they look to avoid relegation, and with a trip to Burnley next week, Warnock will realise how important getting a result against Birmingham is.
Blues have been wildly inconsistent in terms of their performances in recent matches but should have enough to force a share of the spoils on Saturday afternoon.
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