Huddersfield Town: Planner Carlos Corberan leaving nothing to chance for ‘totally different’ game

The Terriers head coach, whose side head to Kenilworth Road to face Luton Town tonight in their Championship semi-final first leg, is a planner who leaves nothing to chance and also misses little.

After his side secured a top-six finish by beating Barnsley, Corberan made sure that the likes of Carel Eiting, Pipa, Jamal Blackman, Tino Anjorin and Scott High were given game-time in Town’s last two league matches alongside others such as the fit-again Danny Ward.

Lewis O’Brien, who missed the final-day game with Bristol City, will be back in the squad tonight if he comes through training, while Sorba Thomas and Matty Pearson are progressing well and trained on Thursday.

With just two full days between both semi-final legs, Corberan is conscious of the notion of covering his bases.

He said: “Every player who is available right now has played at least one of the past five games because to compete, it is important for me for the players to have minutes in the legs. When you have been playing, you are more ready to compete.

“For me, we have 22 players who have played at least one of the last five games and it is positive.

“That players have the best possibility to play means we are ready from this point of view as some had been a lot of time without playing.”

Corberan’s side took four points against Luton in the regular season and did not concede a goal.

A goalless stalemate ensued in Bedfordshire in the autumn with Town triumphing 2-0 at home last month thanks to goals from Jon Russell and Naby Sarr.

But Corberan has dismissed talk of his side – who beat the Hatters just 32 days ago – having a psychological advantage.

His experience of the play-offs at Leeds United, who won their semi-final first leg at Derby in May 2019, only to be eliminated on aggregate after a defeat in the second instalment has also taught him to keep level headed whatever transpires this evening.

The Spaniard added: “We know that the game [tie] is 180 minutes.

“What happens in the first 90 won’t affect the second 90. The game is at least 180 minutes and could be more.

“For me, what we have done in the season [against Luton] is not going to have an impact on what happens. The play-offs are totally different games.”