Huddersfield vs Tottenham will come down to who plays better out of Harry Kane and Christopher Schindler this Saturday
THE last league meeting between Huddersfield and Tottenham was 45 years ago and while a lot has changed since then, this Saturday they go head-to-head as equals once more.
After six games just two points separate title hopefuls Spurs and the happy-to-be-here Terriers.
That is not a slight on the North Londoners, but rather acknowledgement of the superb start David Wagner’s men have made.
Promoted via a penalty shoot-out in the Championship play-offs, the Yorkshire outfit won their first two games without conceding.
A defeat at West Ham is still the only blemish on their record.
Spurs, meanwhile, have quietly risen above the noise about Wembley hoodoos, August droughts and a lack of signings and are nestled in fourth, unbeaten in six in all competitions.
The game kicks off the Premier League weekend at 12.30pm on Saturday and will be shown live on Sky Sports.
Our friends at Football Whispers have previewed the game, looking at the key battles, stats and where the match will be won and lost.
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Key battle: Christopher Schindler v Harry Kane
After failing to score in August, Kane has made up for lost time in September with 11 goals already.
He notched twice in last weekend’s 3-2 win over rivals West Ham and followed that up with his first Champions League treble in Tuesday’s 3-0 triumph over APOEL.
It will be up to Huddersfield to stop the England international building on his hat-trick and, it’s likely it will be down to Schindler, who was man of the match in a goalless draw at Burnley last weekend.
Schindler moved to England last summer, joining the Terriers from 1860 Munich, and quickly became a key part of Town’s defence.
His hero status was cemented by scoring the winning penalty again Reading to send Huddersfield to the Premier League for the first time.
Potential match-winners
Huddersfield’s hero of the opening fortnight of the season Steve Mounie has been sidelined with injury.
It has, therefore, fallen to Belgian forward Laurent Depoitre to get the goals. The 28-year-old joined over the summer after a single disappointing season at Porto.
The 6ft 3in forward made the perfect beginning to life at Huddersfield by scoring on his first Premier League start to secure a point against Leicester City.
Aaron Mooy is the Terriers’ other big threat... the Aussie midfielder excelled on loan from Manchester City last season and made his move permanent this summer.
He pulls the strings from deep and keeps Town ticking.
For Spurs, it is hard to look beyond Kane, Dele Alli and Christian Eriksen.
While it has not been the best start to the season for Real Madrid transfer target Alli, he has still managed two goals and an assist in the Premier League.
Eriksen, meanwhile, has two strikes and a further two assists to his name. The Danish maestro averages 3.2 shots per game – second only to Kane (6.5).
Managers’ tactics
Huddersfield boss Wagner has tended to set up in a 4-2-3-1 system this season.
A newly-promoted team would typically look to keep it tight against Spurs but expect the Terriers to live up to their nickname by pressing aggressively and playing on the front foot.
Mauricio Pochettino, meanwhile, has settled on 3-4-2-1 once more this season and preaches a similar high-intensity style with his wing-backs getting high up the field and causing problems for the opposition.
It could be a fascinating clash of two 100-mile-an-hour styles between a pair of bright, forward-thinking coaches.
Likely line-ups
Huddersfield have several injuries to contend with, not least striker Mounie (heel) who is still a doubt.
Fellow attacker Collin Quaner (calf), Chelsea loanee Kasey Palmer (hamstring), Danny Williams (fractured foot) and Jon Stankovic (ACL) are all out.
Depoitre should start up front if Mounie misses out while Rajiv van La Parra may come in for Abdelhamid Sabiri or Elias Kachunga.
Serge Aurier’s first Premier League start ended in a red card against West Ham last weekend, becoming the first Spurs player to get his marching orders in 84 Premier League fixtures.
That should mean Kieran Trippier starts at right wing-back.
Eriksen has had a cold and Son Heung-min will take his place behind Kane if that prevents the former Ajax star from starting.
Mousa Dembele (ankle), Victor Wanyama (knee), Manchester United transfer target Danny Rose (MCL) and Erik Lamela (hip) are out too.
Key stats
Deep-lying playmaker Mooy has created 14 chances for Huddersfield in Premier League fixtures this season, twice as many as any other player in the squad.
In beating West Ham last Saturday, Spurs have now won their opening three away league fixtures for the first time since the 1991/92 season.
Could they make it four at the John Smith’s Stadium?