Huddersfield and Cardiff to end in stalemate

It has been a dreadful start for David Wagner’s Huddersfield. The Terriers are rock bottom of the Premier League with zero points and a –8 goal difference. Defence has been hard to come by for Huddersfield as Chelsea scored three against them on opening day before Manchester City put six by them last weekend.

There is hope for the club as its first point could be on the horizon. Cardiff visit the John Smith’s Stadium on Saturday. Both clubs need points in this early season six-pointer.

Cardiff did manage a draw against Newcastle last weekend. The two sides failed to score as the fixture ended nil-nil. Neil Warnock’s team is still the only side not to score this term. The squad is mostly made up of players that helped Cardiff earn promotion last term.

The addition of forward Bobby Reid shouldn’t be an improvement on last year’s players even though Cardiff spent £10 million on him. Reid may have scored goals for Bristol City in the Championship last year, but his play showed he is a lower league player. No one is quite sure where Cardiff’s goals will come from.

Warnock has shown he will mix things up at this level. In the team’s first match against Bournemouth, a 2-0 loss, Warnock played a defensive 4-1-4-1 and got outplayed. Against Newcastle, Warnock played a more attacking 4-3-3. The team may not have scored, but it didn’t allow a goal either. Cardiff have registered just 46.4 percent possession. The team has looked to hit opponents on the counter while playing with width to get crosses in.

Wagner has been known in the past for his aggressive tactics. However, Huddersfield have been mauled by opponents. The fixture list hasn’t been kind to the Terriers. They have registered just a 34.3 percent possession rate this term and just 5.5 shots a game. The quality of their opponents has prevented Huddersfield from truly showing their quality. Wagner’s team is still one of the lesser sides in the Premier League. Just in their second top-flight season, Huddersfield – like Cardiff – will flirt with relegation.

Saturday’s fixture will be the first meeting between Huddersfield and Cardiff in the Premier League. The two clubs do have a long history in the Championship. Cardiff have dominated their last six meetings with Huddersfield dating back to 2014.

Cardiff are undefeated against the Terriers in six matches with five of those games ending in wins. Huddersfield do have slightly more experience in the Premier League. That experience will see the Terriers grab a point against Cardiff as the match will end in a draw on Saturday.