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Preview: Huddersfield Town vs. Sheffield Wednesday

Sports Mole looks ahead to Saturday's Yorkshire derby between Huddersfield and Sheffield Wednesday at the John Smith's Stadium.

Sheffield Wednesday will be hoping that the international break pays dividends when they take on local rivals Huddersfield Town in a Yorkshire derby on Saturday.

The Owls head to the John Smith's Stadium without a win in 10 matches in all competitions, a run that has seen them drop into the bottom half of the Championship table despite a decent start to the campaign.

Points have been arriving in dribs and drabs during that spell, with six draws from their last nine league outings suggesting that they are at least a tough team to beat.

However, to win matches you have to score goals, and that is something Wednesday have not been doing enough of lately. They have found the back of the net just four times in their 10-match winless streak and just once in their last six games.

It comes as no surprise, then, that only bottom-of-the-table Blackpool have scored fewer goals than Stuart Gray's side this season, despite the summer addition of new Scotland international Stevie May from St Johnstone.

However, at the other end things are a lot more impressive, with three clean sheets in their last five outings, including a goalless draw in their most recent game against another Yorkshire rival Rotherham United.

They have conceded just 14 times in their 17 matches, which is a tally that only high-flying Middlesbrough can better in the division.

Gray experimented with a number of different forward partnerships before the international break, but could revert to naming Atdhe Nuhiu alongside May as his front two.

The Owls have also been boosted by the loan signing of Lewis McGugan from Watford and the return to training of Caolan Lavery, but neither is likely to be included from the start this weekend.

Royston Drenthe is also back available after suspension, and he could come straight back into the side.

Wednesday may be struggling themselves at the moment, but they remain above Huddersfield in the table and are unbeaten in their last three trips to face their local rivals.

Indeed, it is Huddersfield who have found goals hard to come by in this fixture recently, managing just four in their last nine home games against the Owls.

That could change with the threat of Nahki Wells up front, though, with the former Bradford City striker expected to be restored to the starting lineup having scored five goals in his last six matches.

The Terriers come into this match on the back of two straight defeats before the international break, results which rather stunted Chris Powell's revival at the club.

However, a return to winning ways this weekend would see them leapfrog Wednesday in the table and potentially climb level on points with Cardiff City in the top half.

They will be glad to be back at home too having not lost in front of their own fans in their last five matches following a run of 10 home games without a win.

Powell could bring Diego Poyet into the starting lineup this weekend, but the match will come too soon for Joe Lolley, Adam Hammill and James Vaughan.

Huddersfield:

Recent form: WDDWLL

Possible starting lineup: Smithies; Smith, Hudson, Lynch, Dixon; Scannell, Poyet, Coady, Bunn; Wells, Holt

Sheff Weds:

Recent form: LDDDLD

Possible starting lineup: Westwood; Palmer, Lees, Loovens, Helan; Drenthe, Maguire, Coke, Maghoma; May, Nuhiu

Sports Mole says: 1-1


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Written by
Barney Corkhill
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Derby County's English manager Steve McClaren stands on the sideline during the English Championship Play Off final football match between Derby County and Queens Park Rangers at Wembley Stadium in London on May 24, 2014
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1Wycombe WanderersWycombe19134243222143
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4Huddersfield TownHuddersfield19113530181236
5Stockport CountyStockport2096532211133
6Reading199463028231
7Barnsley208662926330
8Bolton WanderersBolton189362829-130
9Lincoln CityLincoln207762625128
10Blackpool197572931-226
11Mansfield TownMansfield187472222025
12Stevenage187471517-225
13Peterborough UnitedPeterborough197393735224
14Charlton AthleticCharlton196671819-124
15Exeter CityExeter197391721-424
16Wigan AthleticWigan196581716123
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24Shrewsbury TownShrewsbury1932141939-2011


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