Huddersfield Town vs Sunderland Prediction: The game shapes both sides of table

Huddersfield Town will welcome Sunderland at The John Smith's Stadium in Game Week 32 of the English Championship. The game is important and will shape up both the sides of the Championship table. Who will come out on top after 90 minutes?

Huddersfield Town form

Huddersfield Town will be looking to return to their winning ways on Wednesday as they fight for survival in the Championship this season. They suffered a setback over the weekend after making significant progress in recent weeks.

Despite going on an unbeaten run with three consecutive 1-1 draws against Plymouth Argyle, Blackburn Rovers, and Queens Park Rangers, manager Darren Moore's tenure was ended at the end of January. At that time, the team was sitting in 21st place with 28 points from 29 matches.

Since then, Jon Worthington has taken over as interim manager at the John Smith's Stadium. In his first game, he led the team to a crucial 4-0 victory against Sheffield Wednesday, who were in 23rd place, helping to widen the gap between Huddersfield and the relegation zone. Goals from Josh Koroma, Matty Pearson, and Sorba Thomas contributed to the win.

Their next game was an arduous trip to face second-placed Southampton. Although they had a dream start, going 2-0 ahead with goals from Thomas and David Kasumu, they couldn't maintain their lead. Despite momentarily regaining a 3-2 advantage through Alex Matos, they ultimately lost 5-3, as a Tom Lees own goal brought Southampton level, followed by late goals from Sekou Mara and Samuel Edozie.

This disappointing result, combined with positive outcomes for their rivals in the relegation battle, reduced Huddersfield's lead over Queens Park Rangers (in 22nd place) and Sheffield Wednesday (in 23rd place) to just two and five points, respectively. As the search for a new permanent manager continues, Huddersfield will be eager to bounce back in their upcoming match and reestablish a comfortable lead.

Huddersfield Town Predicted Lineup

Nicholls; Pearson, Lees, Nakayama; Kasumu, Matos, Hogg, Spencer; Rudoni, Koroma, Thomas

Sunderland form

Sunderland will face a strong challenge from the Sunderland side as they aim to solidify their position in the playoffs at the John Smith's Stadium. The team has seen an improvement in their performance in recent weeks. Since Michael Beale took over as manager in mid-December, the team initially struggled to secure a spot in the top six, earning only seven points in their first six Championship games under his leadership. This difficult start included consecutive losses against Ipswich Town and Hull City in mid-January. However, the team has shown signs of improvement lately, bouncing back from those defeats with seven points in their last three matches. They started by defeating Stoke City 3-1, with goals from Mason Burstow, Abdoullah Ba, and Pierre Ekwah. They then secured a 1-1 draw against rivals Middlesbrough, followed by a 3-1 victory against Plymouth Argyle, despite being behind at halftime. In the second half, Ekwah, Jack Clarke, and Jobe Bellingham turned the game around. With this win, Sunderland has climbed to seventh place, surpassing playoff rivals Hull City. They are now just behind sixth-placed Coventry City on goal difference and two points behind fifth-placed West Bromwich Albion. With a midweek game in Yorkshire, Sunderland will aim to extend their unbeaten streak to four matches and secure a spot in the top six.

Sunderland Predicted Lineup

Patterson; Hume, Ballard, O'Nien, Hjelde; Neil; Roberts, Bellingham, Ekwah, Clarke; Rusyn

Huddersfield Town vs Sunderland Expert Tips

Despite ultimately not coming out on top against one of the league's strongest teams last weekend, Huddersfield Town displayed their determination. This was seen especially after securing a significant win against Sheffield Wednesday. Consequently, they are anticipated to put up a challenging fight against the Black Cats on Wednesday. Although the visitors have a higher level of skill within their squad, given their current momentum, we believe that Beale's team will come out as winners in this demanding test.