Huddersfield Town head into their encounter with Luton Town on Friday evening having put together a three-match unbeaten streak in the Championship.

While the Terriers currently hold a spot above the relegation zone, bottom-placed Luton will realistically need to win at least two of their remaining four fixtures to avoid an immediate return to League One.

Match preview

On the back of three straight defeats, Danny Cowley would naturally have had concerns about the future of his Huddersfield side, who were being pulled increasingly closer to the bottom three.

However, five points from three games, a run which has included three successive clean sheets, has ensured that the fate of the Terriers remains in their own hands.

Cowley has admitted to being left frustrated with his team's efforts in front of goal over the last two matches, games which have ended in goalless draws against Preston North End and Reading respectively.

Nevertheless, avoiding defeat has kept the pressure on the clubs around them at a time when they are preparing for a run-in which features fixtures against teams in all areas of the table.

While the home meeting with West Bromwich Albion stands out, Cowley knows that his players cannot afford to drop their current level, especially against opponents who will view this game as a must-win.

Nathan Jones had been on course for his second triumph in five outings since his return on Tuesday night, only for nearest rivals Barnsley to find an equaliser with six minutes remaining.

With their goal difference significantly worse than the teams directly above them, Luton find themselves aiming for a minimum of two victories from meetings with Huddersfield, Queens Park Rangers, Hull City and Blackburn Rovers.

All things considered, Jones will view their closing matches as more favourable in comparison to the teams around them, but it is imperative that they take advantage of squaring off against their Yorkshire hosts.

Should they prevail on Friday evening, the Hatters will move to within three points of Huddersfield, subsequently pulling their opponents back into the middle of the scrap to avoid participating in the third tier next season.

Huddersfield Town Championship form: LLLWDD

Luton Town Championship form: DDWDLD

Team News

Luton boss Jones could hand a recall to Andrew Shinnie, with Elliot Lee dropping out of the team.

Barring any late fitness issues, the remainder of the starting lineup could remain the same.

While Huddersfield have put together an improved run of form, it has been a result of Cowley frequently rotating his players.

Should he adopt the same approach on Friday, Richard Stearman, Lewis O'Brien and Elias Kachunga may all come back into the team.

Juninho Bacuna is back in contention after serving a three-match ban.

Huddersfield Town possible starting lineup:
Lossl; Chalobah, Stearman, Schindler, Toffolo; Hogg, O'Brien; Kachunga, Smith-Rowe, Grant; Mounie

Luton Town possible starting lineup:
Sluga; Bree, Carter-Vickers, Bradley, Potts; Berry, Cranie, Mpanzu; Lee; Collins, Hylton

We say: Huddersfield Town 1-1 Luton Town

While both teams know what a win on Friday night could do for their season, they will equally be nervous about suffering a potentially-pivotal defeat. With that in mind, expect a tense affair with few goals, possibly shared evenly between the sides.