Huddersfield Town v Chelsea: '˜We are workers, not dreamers', says David Wagner

The Terriers host Antonio Conte’s men in front of what seems certain to be a red-hot atmosphere despite the freezing temperatures.

Manchester United have already come unstuck at a sold-out John Smith’s Stadium this term, but the odds remain firmly stacked against Wagner’s men claiming a second major scalp.

Nevertheless, the Town chief has urged his players to embrace the role of underdog in an attempt to pull off another shock against the Blues.

“I say to the players, ‘Listen, we treat this like a cup tie,” said the 46-year-old to The Yorkshire Post.

“Make it uncomfortable, stay in the game and then if you can score first it puts a lot of pressure on the opponent.

“The roles are totally clear. One team is the favourite and the other can be happy to be part of this game. We are not dreamers, we are workers. This will be what counts against Chelsea, we totally have to work our socks off.

“With a good performance you get some credit. But with points you get some big headlines as well. This is usually what happens in cup ties, if a smaller club is successful against a bigger club.

“This is what I mean when I say it is a cup tie. Anything can happen. Every single second that we are in the game is a second in our favour. This is how we have played all the games against the top six so far.

“This, for sure, will not change when we play Chelsea. If you want to stay up you have to take points against the top six.”

With a Huddersfield win priced as high as 9-1 by one bookmaker, it is clear where the smart money will be going ahead of kick-off.

Town, though, will be buoyed by a 14-point haul on home soil that is only bettered in the top flight by the top six and Everton.

Wagner’s men could also be helped by the demoralising defeat Chelsea suffered at West Ham United in their last outing.

That loss saw Michy Batshuayi caught on camera with a hot water bottle clutched to his face in an attempt to stay warm, something that led to criticism of the £33m signing from Marseille for being soft.

What the Belgian will make of a December night in the frozen north remains to be seen, but Wagner does not expect his own players to feel the cold.

“In Germany, sometimes the dugout seats are heated,” he said with a smile. “Ours aren’t heated, but, to be honest, the atmosphere in the John Smith’s Stadium is so hot that you don’t need seat heaters.”

Wagner, rarely a manager who adheres to the ‘never change a winning team’ mantra, will finalise his starting XI following a light training session this morning.

Rajiv Van la Parra, available again after serving a three-game ban for his dismissal in last month’s 2-1 defeat to Manchester City, could return in midfield as the Town chief contemplates a tweak to his usual 4-2-3-1 formation.

The Dutch winger apologised for his red card, which followed a post-match clash with Leroy Sane, and Wagner added: “Van la Parra has to prove to us he hasn’t lost his rhythm.

“I back him as much as I can to do that. If the question is does what happened (with the red card) stay in my mind then the answer is no. He has made a mistake, apologised and accepted the fine.

“Now we continue. We have a very busy period and he is able to play again. That makes us all very happy. He is still an important player, in my head. He has learned an important lesson.

“He is a good character and knows we need to stay disciplined. We cannot change what happens, but experience is important for the club and the players.”

As for his likely team selection, Wagner added: “I haven’t decided so far. But I think I have proved often enough that this (the saying ‘never change a winning team’) doesn’t count for me.

“With our small squad, the idea of never changing a winning team has not been a consideration for me in the past and never will be in the future.”

Chelsea are making their first visit to Huddersfield since a 3-2 triumph at the old Leeds Road in 1983. Kasey Palmer is unavailable against his parent club, but Wagner is backing his players to follow up Saturday’s stirring win over Brighton.

“We had a lot of experience in the Premier League,” he added. “We know exactly what we have to do to have a small chance. Our supporters know what we have to do to have a small chance. If we have a small gap open we can use, we will try to use it.

“All the other games against the top six, we performed even if, in the end, we conceded a lot of points. We cannot expect a positive result even if I hope for one. But we will make it as uncomfortable for Chelsea as we have in all our home games.”