Huddersfield Town will make the short trip to the MKM Stadium on Saturday for a contest against Yorkshire rivals Hull City.
The hosts dropped to ninth spot in the Championship table following a defeat last weekend, while their visitors sit 21st with just a four-point lead over the relegation zone.
Match preview
© Reuters
Hull City will return to the MKM Stadium on Saturday aiming to bounce back from a disappointing defeat last weekend in their fight around the playoff spots, having enjoyed an impressive start to the Championship season under the management of Liam Rosenior.
The Tigers now sit ninth in England's second tier with 23 points from their opening 15 outings, and ahead of a trip to fellow playoff-chasers West Bromwich Albion last time out, they only sat outside the top six on goal difference thanks to a pair of consecutive wins in late October.
They firstly triumphed 2-0 away at Birmingham City, before beating Preston North End 1-0 on home turf thanks to Jaden Philogene's second-half goal, but in their bid to climb into the playoff spots last weekend, a trip to the Hawthorns Stadium was a step too far.
The two sides went into the interval level as Lewie Coyle cancelled out Jed Wallace's opener, but Matt Phillips and Semi Ajayi would both find the net soon after the hour mark to ensure the hosts came out at 3-1 winners.
Such a result saw Hull City drop down to ninth spot, but still with just a two-point gap up to Preston North End in the top six, they will be keen to quickly bounce back at the weekend and strengthen their claim for a playoff spot.
© Reuters
They meet a Huddersfield Town side who are battling to end a difficult run in their fight at the other end of the division, albeit on the back of a more pleasing result last time out.
Since Darren Moore's appointment in mid-September, the Terriers have only managed one victory and seven points from eight Championship games, with the lone three-point haul being a 2-1 triumph at home to fellow strugglers Queens Park Rangers last month.
They were unable to build a meaningful run on the back of that first win under their new boss, though, and they went on to lose the next two matches while conceding eight goals, as they firstly suffered a 4-0 thrashing at home to Cardiff City before being beaten 4-1 away at West Yorkshire rivals Leeds United with Michal Helik's late goal nothing more than a consolation.
With the confidence having taken a major knock and their lead over the bottom three having been reduced as a result of those results, Moore's men set out to bounce back last weekend at home to Watford, and while they were unable to come out on top at the John Smith's Stadium, the Terriers did come away with a creditable point from a goalless stalemate.
With positives to take from that more pleasing and tight display, Huddersfield Town will now look to return to winning ways at the weekend and build on their four-point cushion over the drop zone.
Team News
© Reuters
Hull City will remain without midfielder Regan Slater and winger Dogukan Sinik through injury on Saturday, while winger Adama Traore and Jason Lokilo are fresh injury concerns following last week's game and should also miss out.
Rosenior's ranks will have a major boost with the return of Jaden Philogene, though, with the winger set to return to contention after sitting out last weekend, having contributed three goals and four assists in just nine Championship appearances for the Tigers since his summer arrival from Aston Villa.
He should retake his place on the left flank, with Scott Twine and Liam Delap also hoping to keep their spots in the attack, while Allahyar Sayyadmanesh and Aaron Connolly, who has netted five league goals so far this term, are also pushing for starting spots in front of the midfield pairing of Tyler Morton and Jean-Michael Seri.
Huddersfield Town continue to deal with a long injury list, as Oliver Turton, Loick Ayina, Danny Ward, Delano Burgzorg, Josh Koroma and key midfielder Jack Rudoni are all set to remain sidelined at the weekend.
Moore's selection concerns may have eased slightly, though, with Tom Edwards likely returning to contention in defence, while Jonathan Hogg is bound to come back in in the engine room after serving a suspension last time out, and he should join Ben Wiles in the engine room in a new-look 3-4-3 shape in Rudoni's absence.
At the top end of the pitch, with limited options given the losses of Ward, Burgzorg and Koroma and the possible continued absence of Kian Harratt, Sorba Thomas and Jaheim Headley may again flank Kyle Hudlin, while the Terriers have fewer concerns in defence and will again be reliant on the back three of Matty Pearson, Michal Helik and Tom Lees after their clean sheet against Watford.
Hull City possible starting lineup:
Allsop; Coyle, Jones, McLoughlin, Greaves; Seri, Morton; Twine, Tufan, Philogene; Delap
Huddersfield Town possible starting lineup:
Nicholls; Pearson, Helik, Lees; Edwards, Hogg, Wiles, Nakayama; Thomas, Hudlin, Headley
We say: Hull City 2-0 Huddersfield Town
Hull City will be keen to bounce back following last weekend's defeat, and while Huddersfield were resilient against the odds at home to Watford last time out, we do not anticipate them being able to hold out again when they meet a Tigers squad full of quality at the MKM Stadium, especially considering their long list of absentees.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Top tip
Sam Varley
