Preview: Huddersfield Town vs. Preston North End - prediction, team news, lineups

With both sides looking for a first Championship win of the season, Huddersfield Town and Preston North End will square off in West Yorkshire on Tuesday evening.

The visitors are one of only two sides to have lost both of their first two Championship games this season, while their opponents failed to beat Derby County on the opening day and were then on the wrong end of a 5-1 thrashing at the hands of Fulham.

Match preview

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Still under the management of Carlos Corberan, Huddersfield Town come into this season with the overall aim of avoiding relegation, although they will hope for a more comfortable finish after last season came worryingly close to a battle for survival.

Despite seemingly having dragged themselves away from the bottom three in the second half of last season, a poor run at the end of the campaign saw the Terriers finish in 20th spot, just six points above the bottom three.

While they were never at huge risk of relegation, only dropping into the bottom five when it was too late for the gap to be bridged, that should act as a wake-up call for Corberan, who has not seen his system flourish since leaving his role under Marcelo Bielsa at Leeds to become Huddersfield's head coach.

Their start to this season did not go to plan either, as they played out a somewhat disappointing 1-1 draw with a depleted Derby County squad, as Naby Sarr equalised on the stroke of half time after Curtis Davies had put the Rams ahead.

The West Yorkshire outfit then played host to promotion-chasing Fulham, and they got off to the worst possible start when Ryan Schofield's scuffed kick deflected off Aleksandar Mitrovic into the Terriers' net, before Josh Onomah doubled their advantage and Fabio Carvalho immediately restored the two-goal lead on the stroke of half time after Matty Pearson had given the Terriers hope with a 41st-minute goal.

A Harry Wilson red card gave Corberan's men a chance, but Ivan Cavaleiro immediately dashed those hopes with a goal and then netted a second to seal a 5-1 win at the Terriers' home ground.

The Spaniard will now demand a reaction from his side as they take on another team who have had a difficult start to the league season.

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After the permanent appointment of Frankie McAvoy as manager, Preston North End may have headed into this season with optimism, but they had a poor start, suffering a thrashing at the hands of Hull City.

Emil Riis Jakobsen gave them an early lead, but it would quickly go downhill as Keane Lewis-Potter hit an equaliser and Richie Smallwood put the visitors ahead, before late goals from Josh Magennis and Andy Cannon sealed an emphatic win for the newly-promoted Tigers.

After comfortably beating fourth-tier outfit Mansfield Town in the EFL Cup, Preston will have hoped to bounce back away against Reading last time out, but they were instead handed their second straight Championship defeat.

Femi Azeez put the hosts ahead in the first half, and while Daniel Johnson did draw his side level from the penalty spot on the hour mark, it only took the Royals eight minutes to retake the lead through John Swift, and they held on for a narrow win.

Having already lost to two teams that are expected to be jostling for similar positions with Preston, McAvoy will be desperate for his side to put their first points on the board on Tuesday, as they look to avoid getting stranded at the foot of the division.

Team News

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Amidst ongoing links away from the club, Lewis O'Brien will likely remain out of the Huddersfield Town squad, forcing Corberan to play without one of his strongest players.

They do still boast an adept midfield though, with Jonathan Hogg offering solidity and experience, and Duane Holmes a dangerous player on the ball.

The Spanish manager should stick with the back three of Matty Pearson, Naby Sarr and Chelsea loanee Levi Colwill, despite the thrashing last time out.

Jordan Rhodes will likely be given a start up front alongside Josh Koroma to boost the attacking threat of the Terriers.

Preston will be without goalkeeper Declan Rudd, who suffered an injury in the defeat to Hull, meaning Daniel Iversen will continue between the sticks.

Summer signings Isaiah Brown and Matthew Olosunde will also miss out, as they continue to recover from injuries.

Alan Browne, Daniel Johnson and Ryan Ledson bring plenty of quality in the engine room, potentially the strongest area for McEvoy.

Huddersfield Town possible starting lineup:
Schofield; Pearson, Sarr, Colwill; Turton, Holmes, Hogg, High, Thomas; Koroma, Rhodes

Preston North End possible starting lineup:
Iversen; Storey, Lindsay, Hughes; Van Den Berg, Brown, Ledson, Johnson, Cunningham; Jakobsen, Evans

We say: Huddersfield Town 1-1 Preston North End

Both sides come into the game in poor form, and we do not see either taking control of the game to pick up an important win.

Instead, we are opting for a low-scoring draw as the teams continue to struggle at both ends of the pitch.