Huddersfield Town take on Harrogate Town at Canalside on Saturday in their opening pre-season friendly.
The Terriers narrowly avoided relegation from the Championship last season, while Harrogate finished 17th in League Two.
Match preview
© Reuters
A lot more will be expected from Huddersfield this season following the disappointment that was 2020-21, which finished with the club two places above the dropzone.
Carlos Corberan has had a full season under his belt and the aim this time around will be to finish a lot higher up the division.
Town's players gathered for pre-season training three weeks ago, but this will be their first match since drawing 2-2 with Reading on May 8.
That draw to see out the 2020-21 campaign made it four games without a win - a run that includes a heavy 5-2 loss at the hand of Blackburn Rovers.
Corberan's charges have six friendlies before facing Sheffield Wednesday in the EFL Cup on August 1, before meeting Derby County in their first league clash a week later.
The first of those games is against fellow Yorkshire side Harrogate in a behind-closed-doors contest at Canalside.
Harrogate lost 4-1 to Cheltenham Town in their last League Two match of 2020-21 to finish in the lower half of the table, though that did follow a run of back-to-back wins.
The Sulphurites have been managed by Simon Weaver since 2019, with the former defender taking charge of close to 600 games in that period.
Weaver this week extended his contract at Wetherby Road and will look to mark the occasion with victory over second-tier opponents Huddersfield this weekend.
Like the Terriers, Harrogate are in pre-season action for the first time with a set of seven fixtures that concludes with the visit of Doncaster Rovers in three weeks' time.
Town have been busy strengthening their squad ahead of the new campaign, with Mark Oxley becoming their fifth summer signing earlier this week.
- L
- D
- W
- W
- L
- L
- L
- W
- L
- L
- D
- D
Team News
© Reuters
Huddersfield boss Corberan will no doubt rotate his side heavily during matches in his side's first couple of friendlies before working on fielding something close to a settled XI.
Midfielder Juninho Bacuna has been named in Curacao's Gold Cup squad and will therefore miss the majority of pre-season.
The Terriers have brought in five new players since the end of last season, including returning free agent Jordan Rhodes, who may get some minutes under his belt this weekend.
As for Harrogate, James Belshaw - who played a huge part in his side's two recent promotions - is set to leave the club in the coming days and will therefore not feature here.
That should mean new goalkeeper Oxley coming into the side ahead of wearing the number one shirt from the start of the new League Two season.
Following veteran forward Jon Stead's retirement at the end of the previous season, there are a number of players battling to hold down a starting spot up top.
We say: Harrogate Town 1-3 Huddersfield Town
It remains to be seen what type of side Huddersfield will field for the start of their pre-season programme.
Harrogate are a decent side, having survived in their first season in League Two, but we can still see the Terriers coming away with a victory this weekend.
No Data Analysis info
