Bradford City host Huddersfield Town at the University of Bradford Stadium on 31 October 2026 in a League One Gameweek 14 West Yorkshire derby. Bradford sit fourth with 22 points from 12 games whereas Huddersfield lead the table on 25 and a match where neither side is likely to chase the game until they absolutely have to seems the most probable shape of it.
Direct meetings between Michael Duff and Martin Drury are limited, though the fixture carries extra edge because Duff previously managed Huddersfield before being dismissed in March 2025 and whether his familiarity with their tactical shape from that spell gives him any useful information here is at least a reasonable question. He replaced Graham Alexander at Bradford in October 2026 following a brief interim spell under Mark Trueman and Colin Doyle, whereas Drury was appointed in May 2026 after Liam Manning departed on compassionate leave and knows that any slip at Valley Parade hands momentum directly to a rival sitting three points behind.
Bradford are unbeaten in their last 12 matches across all competitions, spanning five league games with results of W D D W D. Their most recent outing was a 0-0 draw at Oxford United on 24 October, followed by a 2-0 EFL Cup win over Peterborough United. Huddersfield have won five of their last six in all competitions and are unbeaten in five league matches, most recently beating Wigan Athletic 2-1 on 24 October.
Bradford are without two players: Callum Connolly is suspended after picking up his fifth yellow card of the season while Zac Hadi remains out with a long term knee injury. Huddersfield's list is considerably longer. Murray Wallace (knee), Jack Whatmough (calf), David Kasumu, Herbie Kane and Marcus McGuane are all sidelined through injury, Ryan Ledson is serving a three match ban for misconduct and Tyreik Wright is unavailable after a long term setback. Seven players out forces Drury to rebuild his preferred structure from scratch.
Michael Duff has built a Bradford side that has conceded just five league goals in 12 matches, operating in a 4-4-2 or similar shape. Without Connolly, the midfield loses its natural ball winner, so Antoni Sarcevic and Adam Phillips will need to work harder off the ball while still supporting Bobby Pointon in attack. Jon McCracken has anchored a string of clean sheets and keeping that record intact here is very much on him.
Huddersfield have scored 24 league goals in 12 games but the absence of Ledson, Wallace, Whatmough, Kasumu, Kane, McGuane and Wright strips away most of their experienced options in both defence and midfield. Drury will likely rely on Joe Taylor, Derensili Sanches Fernandes and Ilias Bronkhorst, with Taylor the attacking reference point up front and Bronkhorst, ordinarily a defender, being asked to contribute further forward in central areas. The sheer volume of absentees may push Huddersfield into longer balls to Taylor and more second ball situations than Drury would prefer.
The tactical question is whether Bradford can hold their low block and hit Huddersfield on the counter. Pointon's movement in behind could exploit gaps left by Huddersfield's advanced full backs while Sarcevic tries to cut off the supply to Taylor and if Bradford keep Huddersfield wide and limit central combinations, set pieces could be what decides it. If Huddersfield establish early control, though, their 24 goal return in 12 games could still be too much for a Bradford side already missing its usual midfield anchor. Bradford's set piece record this season means any defensive lapse from a depleted Huddersfield backline is likely to be punished and that is where home advantage becomes most relevant: Bradford won 3-1 here on 13 September 2025 last season before Huddersfield claimed a 1-0 win at their ground on 24 January 2026, each side taking three points on the other's patch, which means nothing is settled by the venue alone.
A 1-1 draw looks the most probable outcome. Bradford's defensive record and home organisation should do enough to contain Huddersfield for long stretches, though Huddersfield have scored in each of their last five league games, which makes a Bradford clean sheet difficult to sustain even against a depleted attack. Pointon or Sarcevic seems the most likely source of Bradford's goal with Taylor or Sanches Fernandes providing the response and given how stretched Huddersfield's backline is without their usual defensive cover, any lapse at a set piece is where Bradford are most likely to make that count.
Ryan Baldi
Football Writer
Ryan Baldi is a professional football writer with years of experience and has been featured by respected outlets such as the BBC, The Guardian, Sky Sports, DAZN, FourFourTwo, ESPN, Yahoo Sport and Football365. He has also written several books including Arsène Who?.
