Huddersfield Town continue with their Premier League preparation with a quick trip to Germany to face SV Sandhausen.
Despite a positive start to pre-season with wins over Accrington Stanley and Bury FC, David Wagner is under no illusions the Bundesliga.2 outfit will be another step-up this pre-season.
Although the smallest German professional football club playing in the country’s second division, Sandhausen are just over a week away from beginning their 2017/18 season so will present the sternest test yet.
With a strong German contingent there should be a familiarity over proceedings as well as a ‘warm’ reception with humid temperatures of around 29-30 degrees expected.
Bringing you all the action from this afternoon's pre-season clash is Examiner Football Writer Blake Welton.
Key Events
FT: SV Sandhausen 3 Huddersfield Town 2
The referee blows for the end of the game - plenty of goals but David Wagner’s men go down to their first pre-season defeat....
Not long left
87 Minutes: That man Steve Mounie is nearly at it again - this time he forces the keeper into kicking the ball out of play after a sloppy Sandhausen back pass.
SV Sandhausen 3 Huddersfield Town 2
78 Minutes: Town pull one back through Steve Mounie - rising highest to fire a header past the SV Sandhausen keeper after a great cross from Rajiv van La Parra.
So Close!!
75 Minutes: Joe Lolley combines well with Mounie before cutting inside and curling a shot just wide of the goal - that was nearly one pulled back!
SV Sandhausen 3 Huddersfield Town 1
71 Minutes: After a quick water break, Holer has dusted himself down and dispatches the penalty with aplomb past Joel Coleman.
Penalty!!!
69 Minutes: Cranie brings down Lucas Holer in the box after good movement from Sandhausen’s frontline...
SV Sandhausen 2 Huddersfield Town 1
63 Minutes: Tom Ince has only been on the field a matter of minutes and he has already scored his third in three game - bending the ball into the bottom corner from the edge of the area. Game on!!
Hour Mark Substitutions
60 Minutes: Danny Williams, Rajiv van La Parra, Philip Billing and Steve Mounie replace Dean Whitehead, Jonathan Hogg, Elias Kachunga and Laurent Depoitre respectively.
SV Sandhausen 2 Huddersfield Town 0
54 Minutes: Second-half substitute Cranie is caught in possession by Sahin Aygunes who squares the ball across the face of goal for Nejmeddin Daghfous to slot home.
Second-Half Substitutions
46 Minutes: As planned ahead of the game, Joel Coleman, Jordan Williams, Martin Cranie and Joe Lolley replace Jonas Lossl, Sean Scannell, Christopher Schindler, Collin Quaner and Kasey Palmer.
Second-Half
We’re back underway here at the BWT Stadion and SV Sandhausen kick-off the second 45 minutes...
HT: SV Sandhausen 1 Huddersfield Town 0
45 Minutes: Despite Town dominating the majority of the play, they failed to break the deadlock, being denied three times on-the-line before Vollman’s well placed strikes gave the hosts the lead at the break.
Close
43 Minutes: Kasey Palmer has impressed so far and he nearly sets up Zanka from a corner but the defender’s header is inches wide.
Wasps & Substitutions
40 Minutes: It’s still 1-0 to SV Sandhausen here and we have been dive-bombed by a wasp in the press box which nearly made us miss the unplanned change of Chris Lowe for Scott Malone - he must have picked up a knock.
SV Sandhausen 1 Huddersfield Town 0
25 Minutes: Against the run of play Korbinian Vollman puts Sandhausen ahead, turning Scannell and leaving Jonas Lossl no chance....Scans should have done better though in that position.
Sandhausen Chance
21 Minutes: Ken Gipson beats Dean Whitehead before finding Richard Sukuta-Pasu but he placed his shot over the bar from five yards out - Sandhausen’s first real chance, and it was a good one.
Power of Three
17 Minutes: They say things come in threes - and it’s another chance cleared off the line! Scott Malone finds Quaner in the box, whose effort beats the keeper before being blocked on the line.
And Another
14 Minutes: Depoitre shows great strength to shrug off his marker before SV Sandhausen’s stopper Marco Knaller denies him one-on-one.
More Town Pressure
12 Minutes: Another great chance presents itself - Palmer turns three players before seeing his placed effort be agonisingly scrambled off the line....
Off The Line!!
11 Minutes: Town are starting to boss this game now - and should have been 1-0 up....Laurent Depoitre flicks Kachunga’s half-volley goalwards but it is blocked on the line.
Opening Chance
7 Minutes: It’s warm in the press box so heaven knows what it’s like down on that pitch - opening exchanges have been even but the intensity, understandably, hasn’t been too quick.
The first real chance of the game has just fallen to Kasey Palmer who rifles a speculative free-kick over the bar - full marks for trying.
Formation Check
2 Minutes: The customary 4-2-3-1 with Collin Quaner starting on the left wing, Kasey Palmer through the middle and Elias Kachunga on the right.
Kick-Off
The game is underway and Town kick-off - playing left to right towards the noisy Southern Terriers in the opening 45 minutes.
Town Warm-up
They’ve finished their warm-up and back in the changing room ahead of the game - here’s what they got upto though...