Fourth-from-bottom Huddersfield Town return to Championship action on Saturday when they welcome Southampton to the John Smith’s Stadium
Huddersfield Town have nine Championship matches left to play in 2023, beginning with Southampton on Saturday. The Saints are among the most difficult challenges.
The players appear to have mastered Russell Martin’s possession-based style. Southampton went into the international break fresh off a hard-fought victory over promotion rivals West Bromwich Albion. It was their third consecutive victory, and the success extended Southampton’s unbeaten league record to eight games.
With just over a third of the season remaining, the Saints are nine points behind the automatic promotion spots. Everything is moving in the correct direction.
Southampton head to West Yorkshire with good selection problems to have. Poland international Jan Bednarek is pushing to start after serving a one-match suspension for collecting five bookings. Mason Holgate and Taylor Harwood-Bellis were paired together at the heart of their defence last time out. Will Martin hand Bednarek an immediate recall or resist the temptation to make a change to his back line?
It is also conceivable that Martin could freshen up his attack. Scottish striker Ross Stewart is fit again after recovering from an Achilles problem.
The former Sunderland man made his long-awaited Southampton debut as a late substitute against the Baggies. Martin hopes Stewart will give them an extra dimension in the final third.
“Ross is massive, which really helps in this league,” he noted. “He is a brilliant goalscorer who can really run, has brilliant movement, works hard out of possession for the team, and can hold the ball up—he has a bit of everything, really.”
Adam Armstrong has scored one-third of Southampton’s 27 league goals this season. He also contributed three assists to their promotion push.
Che Adams, Joe Aribo, Ryan Fraser, Samuel Edozie, and Carlos Alcaraz are among the attacking players at Martin’s disposal. Can Town, who are currently fourth-bottom and four points above relegation, keep them all quiet? Can Town, who haven’t won in four games, completely turn the form book on its head? The beauty of the championship is that anything can happen.
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