Huddersfield v Manchester City – Line-ups, stats and preview

Match Preview for Huddersfield v Man City

Huddersfield missed out on a League One play-off spot last season, finishing 10th and 14 points behind the top six.

With Lee Grant now at the helm, the Terriers are targeting a stronger promotion push this time around.

So far, Huddersfield have made a promising start – winning five, drawing one, and losing three of their opening nine matches to sit fifth in the table.

EFL Cup Third Round Betting Offers, Tips & Predictions

However, their recent form has dipped, with only one win from the last four league games.

Cup competitions have been a different story. The Terriers remain unbeaten, thrashing Newcastle U21s 6-2 in the EFL Trophy and edging past Leicester City and Sunderland on penalties in the EFL Cup.

They now face their toughest test yet as Premier League giants Manchester City visit the John Smith’s Stadium.

City are the heavy favourites despite Huddersfield’s strong start. Pep Guardiola’s side are also chasing their first silverware of the season and will see this as an ideal opportunity to build momentum.

However, the Spanish head coach is not delighted at the prospect of another game after such a busy start to the season.

He said: “Tomorrow [vs Huddersfield], I’m going to give you news; we’re not going to play the same starting XI as the last three games. That’s for sure.

“Listen, the only problem we have in the Carabao Cup right now – and I respect this competition otherwise we would not win it four times in a row – is arriving to the competition with no injuries. Unfortunately we have injuries.

“It will be a mix of first-team and Academy players to play tomorrow, because the priority is Burnley, Monaco, and Brentford… We will try to compete and go through!”

Team news for Huddersfield v Man City

Huddersfield are likely to remain without Herbie Kane, Lynden Gooch and Jack Whatmough, although all three are nearing a return.

Lee Grant is expected to stick with a similar side to the one that beat Leicester and Sunderland, with Daniel Vost and David Kasumu anchoring midfield.

Up front, leading scorer Joe Taylor should spearhead the attack, supported by Dion Charles, Leo Castledine and Will Alves.

Manchester City have fitness concerns of their own. Mateo Kovacic, Rayan Ait-Nouri, Omar Marmoush and Rayan Cherki are unlikely to play, while Erling Haaland is a doubt after being forced off against Arsenal with back pain.

Gianluigi Donnarumma has recently replaced James Trafford as first-choice goalkeeper, but Trafford is tipped to start here.

Expect Guardiola to rotate heavily, with Savinho, Rico Lewis, Nico Gonzalez and Oscar Bobb all pushing for places in the XI.

Expected line-ups for Huddersfield v Man City

Huddersfield: Nichols; Sorensen, Feeney, Wallace, Roughan; Vost, Kasumu; Charles, Castledine, Alves; Taylor

Manchester City: Trafford; Nunes, Stones, Ake, Lewis; Bobb, Silva, Gonzalez, Reijnders, Savinho; Foden

How to watch Huddersfield v Man City: TV channel, online stream

Huddersfield v Man City will kick-off at 19:45 BST on Wednesday and is available to watch on Sky Sports+.

The stats for Huddersfield v Man City

• Huddersfield are unbeaten in cup competitions this season
• The Terriers have won just one of their last four league games
• Man City won four consecutive EFL Cups between 2017-18 and 2020-21 but haven’t reached the final since
• Guardiola’s side sit ninth in both the Premier League and Champions League early this season
• Man City have won each of their last three meetings with Huddersfield
• City are unbeaten in their last three matches across all competitions, including wins over Manchester United and Napoli

Prediction

Huddersfield have already proven they can upset bigger sides in this year’s competition, but Manchester City’s squad depth and quality should make the difference here. Guardiola’s men are expected to progress comfortably.

Prediction: Huddersfield 0-3 Man City