Huddersfield Town play host to Coventry City on Saturday afternoon knowing that victory will secure their place in the Championship for another 12 months.
While the Sky Blues are safe from relegation, Mark Robins will want his side to finish as high in the table as possible with 14th position still up for grabs.
Match preview
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Barring a miracle end to the campaign from Rotherham United, Huddersfield will not be relegated this season, an acceptable achievement given their inconsistencies under Carlos Corberan.
Nevertheless, the Spaniard is aware of the importance of ending the campaign on a positive note if he is to convince the powers-that-be that he deserves another season in the dugout.
The Huddersfield hierarchy have not been shy in making changes in the past, and that will be under consideration with Corberan's side delivering just 16 points from 22 matches since the start of 2021.
Conceding five goals at an out-of-form Blackburn Rovers last weekend will not have helped Corberan's chances, heaping the pressure on a fixture against opponents who sit just four points above them in the standings.
All things considered, the Terriers are likely to end the season in 20th position, and a ninth home win of the campaign may be required if this project is to be extended into a second year.
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Up until the middle of April, Coventry had gone through the entire campaign without recording successive wins during their first year back in the Championship.
However, victories over Rotherham United, Barnsley and Stoke City have ensured that the Sky Blues will be returning to the Ricoh Arena with second-tier football.
Robins would have been disappointed with last weekend's 1-0 defeat at home to Preston North End, a result which may prove to be the difference when it comes to making further progress up the table.
While that will only increase Coventry's desire to get back on track in Yorkshire, Robins may encourage his players to play with a sense of freedom, a reward for the character that they have shown in keeping the club in this division against the odds.
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Team News
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Despite the 5-2 reverse at Ewood Park, Huddersfield boss Corberan may keep changes to a minimum for this fixture.
The Spaniard may make just the one alteration with Duane Holmes being preferred to Juninho Bacuna on the left flank.
Alex Vallejo, Isaac Mbenza and Fraizer Campbell are all expected to remain sidelined for the Terriers.
Matt Godden and Tyler Walker are both pushing for recalls after Coventry's defeat to Preston.
Fankaty Dabo is also an option if Robins opts for a fresh face at right wing-back.
Huddersfield Town possible starting lineup:
Schofield; Pipa, Keogh, Sarr, Toffolo; Eiting, Hogg; Koroma, O'Brien, Holmes; Ward
Coventry City possible starting lineup:
Wilson; Rose, McFadzean, Hyam; Da Costa, James, Hamer, McCallum; Walker; Gyokeres, Godden
We say: Huddersfield Town 1-2 Coventry City
Should Huddersfield survive in the second tier, it will be down to their form at the John Smith's Stadium. Nevertheless, Coventry have been excellent in recent weeks, leading us to back a hard-fought win for the away team.
Top tip
Darren Plant
Data Analysis
Our analysis of all available data, including recent performances and player stats up until an hour before kickoff, suggested the most likely outcome of this match was a Coventry City win with a probability of 37.48%. A win for Huddersfield Town had a probability of 35.13% and a draw had a probability of 27.4%.
The most likely scoreline for a Coventry City win was 0-1 with a probability of 10.85%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 1-2 (8.07%) and 0-2 (6.75%). The likeliest Huddersfield Town win was 1-0 (10.43%), while for a drawn scoreline it was 1-1 (12.97%). The actual scoreline of 1-1 was predicted with a 13% likelihood.
