There have only been 38-days since Town made their Premier League bow away at Crystal Palace, but this game couldn't be more different from that one. Having already sacked Frank de Boer after he went without a win or a goal in his opening four league matches, Palace have turned to Roy Hodgson, who also lost his first game in charge without scoring, too. Writing about them before the season started, we suggested that - due to the level of changes that would need to be made - it might be a slow start for the south London side, but they'd likely improve over time if their new head coach was given the time and patience to fully implement his ideas, but he wasn't.
Back down at Selhurst this evening, Town will be facing a far different Palace side, with a different system, identity and intent on how to play the game. Three at the back has been cast aside, as has the possession based total football that De Boer was so keen on impressing on his new side. Hodgson will take less risks than his predecessor, allow his side to play in their comfort zone far more, and look to percentage play to lead them to success. What they do under the former England manager might not be pretty, or particularly entertaining to watch, but there's a proven record of that style of football working in the Premier League, especially when a side has nowhere else to turn to.
They should line-up in a 4-3-3 if their past couple of matches are anything to go by, but without the ball - which, you imagine, they will be for extended periods against Huddersfield - they'll drop deep and resemble something far close to a 4-5-1, with two solid defensive banks standing between Town and their goal. Their intention will be for their wingers to create for Benteke, utilising their speed to hit Huddersfield on the break whenever possible. Likely to play as an away side usually would despite being at home, Palace will forgo possession and flair in favour of structure and solidity, with Hodgson well known for his repetitive drill-based coaching style.
In goal, it's club policy for Julian Speroni to be given a game in their cup fixtures, while Mamadou Sakho will lead the defensive unit just ahead of him. Next to Sakho, it's likely that Joel Tomkins will be given minutes after suffering an injury, with Hodgson holding him back from their last match despite hinting he'd be available for it if needed. At right-back, there's a toss up between Timothy Fosu-Mensah, who was superb against Huddersfield on the opening day, and Joel Ward, who's struggling for form, but well liked. At left back, Pape Soare will be given his first start in over a year since seriously injuring both his thigh and jaw in a car crash last season, so it's encouraging to see him back to full fitness and ready to play again regardless of allegiance.
Shielding the defence, fan favourite Luka Milivojevic will be reintegrated in to the side after falling out of favour under De Boer, and he will be partnered by either Yohan Cabaye or James McArthur, who will be the more ball playing aspect of their central midfield. Just in front of them, it's expected that Ruben Loftus-Cheek will get the nod, and he's a player Huddersfield should pay close attention to if he is selected, as he was one of few Palace players to really threaten on the first weekend.
Either side of Christian Benteke up front will be Andros Townsend and Jason Puncheon, who will play as inverted wingers. Wilfried Zaha is still missing after being injured against Huddersfield, so the onus falls on Townsend to provide the spark in the final third. When playing from the right, however, his tendency to cut inside and shoot off target is somewhat indulged, and that's something Town would do well to encourage - Townsend is a player who can be lead down blind alleys time and time again if ushered in to them properly, and that severely limits how much damage he can cause with the ball at his feet.
It wouldn't shock anyone to see Town rotate either, despite Wagner saying he was going to play his strongest team available. We know that the coach believes he has a squad full of first team players and likes to use them as he chooses, and it's hard to see one questionable FA fine from last season persuading him otherwise. A chance for fringe members of the side to get minutes under their belt, new signings to gain fitness and players returning from injury to continue their rehabilitation, whoever Wagner does decide to go with should have more than enough about them to test Palace again.
The partnership of Sabiri and Depoitre can use this game as further chance to develop, while both Scott Malone and Florent Hadergjonaj will want to keep a fire lit under their competition at full-back. Michael Hefele will step back in to the mix after suffering from an Achilles injury, and midfield warrior Jonathan Hogg is in line for his first start of the season, too. Philip Billing should play after being replaced by Danny Williams for the Leicester match, with Rajiv Van La Parra and Joe Lolley occupying the space out wide. Palace will spend long periods of this match sat deep with numbers behind the ball, and that's something Huddersfield are going to have to get used to, but the earlier they score the better.
These early cup rounds are often more about attitude than ability, and both sets of players aren't shy of motivation heading in to it. Crystal Palace and Roy Hodgson need the confidence boost of a goal or two and a win, while the players selected by David Wagner will want to take the chance to impress their manager and force themselves in to the Premier League equation. This isn't likely to be the end-to-end open match it was just over a month ago, and the spectacle will be far poorer for it, but that doesn't mean for a second that this isn't a match that Huddersfield can't win should they apply themselves correctly.
You can follow Raj Bains on Twitter over on @BainsXIII, and his Huddersfield Town book Underdog is being published later in 2017. It is available to order now, with the opportunity to have the name of your choice printed in a fans list at the back of the book. Please visit www.gnbooks.co.uk or call 01274 735056.
