Having lost head coach Carlos Corberan and four members of their playing staff to COVID-19 infection not long before their Championship curtain-raiser,
Huddersfield’s start to the season appeared to be going from bad to worse when they fell behind to a Curtis Davies goal at crisis club Derby last week.
Only a quick-fire equaliser from Naby Sarr on the stroke of half-time denied Derby the win, as Town escaped from Pride Park with a point – to the relief of stand-in boss Danny Schofield.
The West Yorkshire outfit had previously enjoyed a positive kick-off to their 2021-22 campaign, when they overcame Sheffield Wednesday in a penalty shootout to make the second round of the EFL Cup – since being handed an attractive home tie with Everton later this month.
That success came as a relief for Corberan – who joined the Terriers from local rivals Leeds United after helping them gain promotion – following back-to-back friendly
losses to end a virus-hit pre-season. However, COVID-related complications have continued to disrupt affairs in Kirklees, so an encounter with Fulham’s expensively assembled squad is perhaps not ideally timed.
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Huddersfield lost both home and away the last time the Cottagers were at this level – including a 2-1 home reverse almost exactly two years ago – and will be up against it to avoid a fourth successive defeat to them in all.
Still adapting to their new surroundings in the Championship, frustrated Fulham picked up only a solitary point to kick off their league campaign last weekend and will be eager to record their first win on Saturday.
After their demotion in the spring, Fulham endured an unedifying saga which eventually saw former manager Scott Parker make the switch to rivals Bournemouth, before ex-Hull boss Marco Silva stepped into the Craven Cottage hot-seat.
