Stoke vs Huddersfield preview: Championship clash live on Sky Sports Football Red Button
Watch live on Sky Sports Football Red Button and the Sky Sports app from 7.55pm on Tuesday; Kick-off is at 8pm
Tuesday 1 October 2019 09:50, UK
Stoke face Huddersfield in the Sky Bet Championship on Tuesday. Coverage gets underway live on Sky Sports Football Red Button at 7.55pm; Kick-off is at 8pm.
Team news
Stoke defender Nathan Collins will miss out as he serves the second game of a three-match ban following his sending off at Crawley in the Carabao Cup.
By contrast, midfielder Joe Allen is available after serving the suspension he was given when the Potters lost 2-1 to Bristol City. Allen's involvement is dependent on the fitness of Badou Ndiaye, who sustained an ankle injury against Nottingham Forest and is set for a late fitness test.
Huddersfield manager Danny Cowley handed debuts to new signing Danny Simpson and left-back Jaden Brown during the Terriers' 1-1 draw with Millwall on Saturday.
Brown was drafted in to replace Terence Kongolo after his calf issue resurfaced, but Cowley is hopeful the latter will be fit to return on Tuesday night. Midfielder Alex Pritchard is also expected to make a comeback after recovering from a knee injury.
Recent form
Things just will not go according to plan for Nathan Jones at Stoke. After an impressive showing in the 0-0 draw with Brentford on September 21, the Potters started like a house on fire against Nottingham Forest on Friday, but individual errors cost them dear in an eventual 3-2 defeat. In between that was the embarrassment of a shootout defeat to League Two Crawley.
What the managers said...
Stoke boss Nathan Jones:
"If results don't improve, I fully expect a decision to be made on my future. I fully expect it and I have no argument about it, absolutely not. If I'm honest, if this wasn't such the club that it was, and has the owners it has, I would've been gone a while ago because my results haven't been good enough and I know that.
"I'm under no illusions, just as I knew in my previous job I was not untouchable, but, I was in a very secure position because my win rate was 55 per cent and we'd been promoted and we'd changed everything about it. We've changed a lot here but we haven't got results and that's the be-all and end-all. So trust me, I fully expect if I don't get results in the next few games that a decision will be made on my future."
Huddersfield boss Danny Cowley: "We're growing in confidence every day. We don't expect to be nervous, and if you get the steps right and the players become more and more confident in their processes then their performances will become more and more confident. We are focused on being the best version of Huddersfield Town.
"We always try to have a refuse-to-lose attitude and fight to the end. Those are qualities my teams have had over the last 13 years and the qualities the Huddersfield Town fans like. They were brilliant on Saturday and we're going to be trying hard to make them proud."
Talking point - Where does it end for Stoke, Huddersfield?
Stoke's capitulation against Nottingham Forest on Saturday left the club with just five wins this calendar year, but while that might seem miserable, the Terriers have won just one game in all competitions since the beginning of 2019. So, where does it end for these two clubs? Two clubs with Premier League experience in the last few years.
Potters boss Nathan Jones has, time and time again, stated his belief in his side and, it has to be said, they flew out of the blocks against Forest, before mistakes cost them in defeat, while Danny Cowley steered Huddersfield to only their second point of the season on Saturday against Millwall. Victory in this fixture could spark a renaissance for either side, but which one will prevail?
Latest highlights
Opta stats
Stoke City have won their last two home matches against Huddersfield in all competitions, winning 2-0 on both occasions in January and August 2018.
Huddersfield are winless in five games against Stoke in all competitions (W0 D3 L2) since winning 2-1 in March 1998 in a second-tier meeting.
Stoke haven't remained winless in their opening 10 games to a league campaign since 1989-90, when they were relegated from the second tier (first 11).
Huddersfield could become the third team in history to fail to win any of their opening 10 games in consecutive Football League campaigns after Norwich (1920-21 and 1921-22) and Southport (1975-76 and 1976-77).
Since the start of last season, no side has lost more English Football League games than Huddersfield (35, level with Bolton).
Prutton's prediction
This is an absolute must-win game for both of these sides. Stoke were actually excellent in the early stages against Nottingham Forest on Friday night, but once again an individual error cost them dear.
Talking of goalkeeping howlers... the Cowleys would have got their first Huddersfield win at the weekend were in not for Kamil Grabara's error against Millwall, but they at least got their first point. I think Stoke may edge this and finally offer some relief for Nathan Jones.
David Prutton predicts: 2-1 (8/1 with Sky Bet)
