Preview: Huddersfield Town vs Bolton Wanderers - prediction, team news, lineups

Two League One promotion hopefuls seeking to return to winning ways do battle at the John Smith’s Stadium on Thursday night, as Huddersfield Town play host to Bolton Wanderers.

The Terriers and the Trotters, who have been drawn against each other in the FA Cup first round, are separated by just two points in the third-tier standings, with the former sitting in seventh place and the latter occupying ninth spot.

Match preview

Huddersfield have had just under a fortnight to prepare for Thursday’s contest since suffering a disappointing 2-1 home defeat to 10-man Stockport County in their most recent fixture - their fourth league defeat and their first on home soil this season.

Head coach Lee Grant acknowledged that his group were ‘low and angry’ after losing to a side who played for over half-an-hour with a man down, and the 42-year-old admitted that he saw a “nervousness” from his players for the first time since taking charge in the summer.

The Terriers have now lost four of their last six games in all competitions (W1 D1), while just one win in their last four League One matches (D1 L2) has seen them slip out of the playoff places, though they could climb above Stockport into fourth spot with a victory against Bolton.

Seeking to avoid losing back-to-back home league matches for the first time since April/May, Huddersfield enjoyed a four-game winning run against Bolton - their longest winning streak against the Trotters in their history - before suffering a narrow 1-0 home defeat in their most recent meetings in January.

Bolton have in fact won their last two encounters with Huddersfield, including an EFL Trophy triumph in December last year, but they have only come out on top in five of their last 13 meetings across all competitions (D2 L6).

The Terriers head into Thursday’s clash with Huddersfield having lost two of their last three League One matches (W1), including a humbling 3-0 away defeat to a struggling Burton Albion outfit last weekend - their heaviest defeat since the arrival of head coach Steven Schumacher in January.

Schumacher rued the missed opportunities from his team and has insisted that they “have got to do the basics right” if they wish to put together a positive run of form and climb towards the top end of the table.

Bolton are desperate to improve their away form, as they are one of only four League One teams who are yet to win on the road and have accumulated the second-fewest away points after six games (three) - only Blackpool (zero) have collected fewer.

Huddersfield Town League One form:

L W L D W L

Huddersfield Town form (all competitions):

L D L W L L

Bolton Wanderers League One form:

W D W L W L

Bolton Wanderers form (all competitions):

D W W L W L

Team News

Huddersfield are set to be without Jack Whatmough (calf), Herbie Kane (groin), Marcus McGuane (groin), Radinio Balker (ankle), Will Alves (foot) and Zepiqueno Redmond (knee) due to injury, while Antony Evans and Mickel Miller will be assessed having made progress in their recovery from respective knee and hamstring issues.

Grant is unlikely to make wholesale changes to his starting lineup, but the likes of Lynden Gooch, Joe Taylor and Bojan Radulovic will be hoping to force their way into the first XI after beginning as substitutes last time out.

Taylor is Huddersfield’s top scorer so far this season with five goals, two ahead of Chelsea loanee Leo Castledine who was recently nominated for September’s League One Goal of the Month award for his stunning strike against Exeter City.

As for Bolton, Jordi Osei-Tutu and Will Forrester have stepped up their recoveries from injury and are edging closer to a return, but it remains to be seen whether they will be ready to return to the matchday squad on Thursday.

Mason Burstow, on loan from Hull City, is expected to start and is the top scorer in League One with seven goals so far this season, but the striker has only made the net ripple once in six away games.

Josh Dacres-Cogley should be fit to return to the first XI at right-back, meaning Cyrus Christie would make way, while Richard Taylor could earn a recall in an advanced midfield role at the expense of Sam Dalby.

Huddersfield Town possible starting lineup:

Nicholls; Sorensen, Low, Feeney, Roosken; Ledson, Kasumu; Harness, Wiles, Castledine; May

Bolton Wanderers possible starting lineup:

Sharman-Lowe; Dacres-Cogley, Forino, Johnston, Conway; Morley, Simons; Cozier-Duberry, Taylor, Cissoko; Burstow

We say: Huddersfield Town 1-1 Bolton Wanderers

Given that both teams have encountered recent setbacks in their respective campaigns, securing maximum points on Thursday would provide either side with a much-needed boost. That said, identifying a clear favourite to prevail from this contest is no easy task.

The less said about Bolton’s away form the better, but we feel that they may have enough to frustrate an out-of-sorts Huddersfield side and claim a share of the spoils from a closely-contested battle.

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