Preview: Huddersfield Town vs. Swansea City - prediction, team news, lineups

Huddersfield Town will aim to protect their place in the Championship playoffs when they welcome Swansea City to the John Smith's Stadium on Saturday.

The Terriers are currently sixth in the table but have played at least one game more than all of the chasing pack, while the Swans are down in 17th position.

Match preview

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Huddersfield's playoff ambitions appeared to be waning in the early weeks of December, but Carlos Corberan's side have rediscovered their form and have taken 10 points from the last 12 available.

The Terriers are unbeaten in their last seven matches in all competitions and have lost just one of their last eight games at the John Smith's Stadium.

The squad's confidence was boosted even further last weekend as they came from behind to knock Premier League side Burnley out of the FA Cup with a 2-1 win at Turf Moor.

Huddersfield have kept two successive clean sheets in the Championship and only West Bromwich Albion and Bournemouth have registered more shutouts in the division this season than the West Yorkshire outfit (10).

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This will be Swansea's first league game in over a month, as due to fixtures being postponed they have not played in the Championship since a 4-1 home defeat to Nottingham Forest on December 11.

Like Huddersfield, the Swans faced top flight opposition in the FA Cup last weekend, narrowly losing 3-2 to Southampton after extra time.

It means that Russell Martin's men are on a four-match losing streak in all competitions – the club's worst run of form since last April.

Only Barnsley and Peterborough United have picked up fewer points away from home than Swansea (11) in the Championship this season.

The Welsh side beat Huddersfield 1-0 in this season's reverse fixture in September as Joel Piroe scored the only goal, but have only claimed victory once on their eight previous visits to the John Smith's Stadium.

Team News

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Huddersfield hope to have goalkeeper Lee Nicholls and defender Levi Colwill back available after the pair missed the win over Burnley through illness and a knee problem respectively.

Sorba Thomas, Harry Toffolo and Lewis O'Brien should be among the players to return to the first XI after starting on the bench against the Clarets.

Josh Koroma's goal in the cup upset was his first in 18 games since mid-September, so he will want to now kick-start his season.

Swansea were without Ben Cabango and Jamie Paterson for their cup exit against Southampton, but will hope that the pair can return at the John Smith's Stadium.

Full-back Cyrus Christie signed on loan from Fulham on Thursday and is available to make his debut on Saturday.

Top scorer Joel Piroe, the matchwinner against Huddersfield in September, has only netted once in his last seven away games.

Huddersfield Town possible starting lineup:

Nicholls; Pearson, Lees, Colwill; Thomas, High, O'Brien, Toffolo; Sinani, Ward, Koroma

Swansea City possible starting lineup:

Hamer; Naughton, Cabango, Bennett; Christie, Grimes, Smith, Manning; Paterson, Ntcham; Piroe

We say: Huddersfield Town 1-1 Swansea City

This is a tricky game to call and we cannot see past a draw. Huddersfield are the form team but Swansea will be determined to get back to winning ways and start climbing back up the table after over a month without a league game.