Match Preview
Fulham vrs Huddersfield Town
Championship Match Day 31 21/22 at Craven Cottage
Saturday 19th February 2022 KO: 12:30
Referee:
Tony Harrington (Cleveland)
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Leaders Fulham play host to Huddersfield Town on Saturday afternoon looking to strengthen their position at the top of the Championship standings.
While their six-point lead may have been halved by the time that they take to the pitch at Craven Cottage, the West Londoners will move 17 points clear of Huddersfield if they can end the long undefeated streak of their fifth-placed opponents.
Ahead of facing Hull City last weekend, Fulham would have expected to have defeated their struggling hosts by more than a 1-0 scoreline.
Nevertheless, the result was all that mattered, and Aleksandar Mitrovic's 31st league strike of the campaign has moved the Cottagers 10 points clear of third-placed Blackburn Rovers having played two games fewer.
Despite his side's unbeaten streak in the league being extended to seven games, Marco Silva will not be getting carried away, but the inconsistency of the teams behind them will not be going unnoticed.
Mathematically, the West Londoners remain far away from confirming promotion, although winning half of their remaining 16 matches should prove enough to earn an immediate return to the second tier.
For the first time since the November international break, Fulham have posted successive clean sheets in the Championship during their wins over Millwall and the Tigers.
At this stage of the season, few people would have been tipping Huddersfield to put together a 12-match unbeaten streak in the Championship, but such a run has kept the Tigers in playoff contention.
With an eight-point gap to second-placed Bournemouth and having played two games more, a bid for automatic promotion feels unrealistic, but Carlos Corberan's team deserve huge praise for their recent form.
Goalless draws at home to Preston North End and Sheffield United have been frustrating, particularly the latter given that the Terriers had a goal controversially chalked off during the first half.
That said, it kept things ticking over in the right direction, while three clean sheets have now been recorded in a row for the first time since October.
Huddersfield's last away defeat back on November 24 came in the capital as they went down by a 1-0 scoreline to Queens Park Rangers.