Huddersfield Town could come face to face with former loan player Elliott Ward at Blackburn Rovers.
The centre-back made five Town appearances earlier this season when brought in from AFC Bournemouth following injury to skipper Mark Hudson.
Ward, 31, who started his career at West Ham United and later played for Norwich City and Coventry City, signed for Blackburn in January.
He played under Rovers manager Paul Lambert at Norwich and has so far totted up seven appearances for the club.
Skipper and Scotland international Grant Hanley is a mainstay in an impressive Blackburn rearguard (just 40 goals, the lowest tally in the bottom half of the Championship, have been conceded and 14 clean sheets kept).
That has left Ward and former Everton man Shane Duffy, a Republic of Ireland international, to compete for the other berth.
“Wardy is older than Grant and Shane (both 24) and you’ve got to manage him through certain games,” said Lambert, who succeeded Gary Bowyer as manager in November.
“But he never lets you down and you know what you’re going to actually get from him.”
While Duffy joined Rovers in 2014, Dumfries-born Hanley has been in East Lancashire since 2008.
He made his debut in the Premier League in 2010 and Lambert has been impressed.
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“I think there’s been a few lads who have been brilliant for me and Grant has definitely been up there,” said the boss.
“If you have people who you know exactly what you’re going to get from them then that’s half the battle.
“Grant is doing great with the national team and he’s played in the Premier League.
“He knows exactly what it takes and once you’re in there you want to get back to it.”
Blackburn are 16th, one point and three places above Town, whose last win at Ewood Park came in 1986.
