Derby County will be bidding to return to winning ways in the Championship when they continue their 2021-22 campaign at home to Hull City on Tuesday night.
The home side are currently 23rd in the table, boasting 15 points from their opening 29 matches, while Hull sit 19th, 12 points clear of the relegation zone heading into the next set of fixtures.
Match preview
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Derby would be 16th in the Championship table had they not been hit with a 21-point deduction, with Wayne Rooney's side winning eight, drawing 12 and losing nine of their 29 league games this term.
The Rams are currently 23rd in the division with 15 points, seven points from the safety of 21st spot, meaning that the club still have an uphill battle to secure what would be a sensational survival.
Rooney's side were in stunning form between December 11 and January 15, winning four of their five Championship matches, but they have only picked up one point from their last three league games, drawing with Birmingham City, in addition to losing to Nottingham Forest and Huddersfield Town.
Derby were last in action away to Huddersfield on February 2, suffering a 2-0 defeat courtesy of late goals from Duane Holmes and Jordan Rhodes in West Yorkshire.
The Rams have won their last two league games against Hull, though, including a 1-0 victory when the pair locked horns for the reverse fixture earlier this term.
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Hull, meanwhile, will enter the contest off the back of a 1-0 home defeat to Preston on Saturday, which ended an impressive run of form in England's second tier.
Indeed, the Tigers had won three straight matches against Blackburn Rovers, Bournemouth and Swansea City between January 19 and January 29 before losing against Preston.
Hull have won nine, drawn five and lost 15 of their 29 league matches this season to collect 32 points, which has left them in 19th spot in the table, some 12 points clear of the relegation zone.
Shota Arveladze's side are preparing to enter a tough run of matches, with their three games after this one coming against Fulham, Sheffield United and Queens Park Rangers.
The Tigers have picked up 14 points from their 14 away league games this term and will be facing a Derby side that have won six, drawn six and lost just two of their home Championship fixtures in 2021-22.
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Team News
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Derby will be missing Richard Stearman on Tuesday through suspension following his red card in the defeat to Huddersfield last time out.
As a result, there is expected to be a spot in the back four for Krystian Bielik, who was required off the bench on Wednesday following Stearman's dismissal in the early exchanges.
Louie Sibley, Festy Ebosele and Lee Buchanan returned to the starting side at the John Smith's Stadium, and it would not be a surprise to see all three feature from the first whistle once again.
As for Hull, Andy Cannon, Josh Emmanuel, Mallik Wilks, Callum Elder, Lewie Coyle and Alfie Jones will miss the contest through injury.
New signings Allahyar Sayyadmanesh, Marcus Forss and Liam Walsh were named on the bench against Preston, with Matt Ingram coming into the side between the sticks.
There are not expected to be any real surprises in the away side's starting XI on Tuesday, with leading goalscorer Keane Lewis-Potter retaining his spot in attack.
Derby County possible starting lineup:
Allsop; Byrne, Bielik, Davies, Buchanan; Sibley, Thompson, Knight, Ebosele; Lawrence; Plange
Hull City possible starting lineup:
Ingram; Bernard, Greaves, McLoughlin; Longman, Docherty, Smallwood, Fleming; Honeyman, Eaves, Lewis-Potter
We say: Derby County 1-1 Hull City
This is a huge game for Derby, who need to return to winning ways as soon as possible if they are to move closer to safety. Hull's recent form has been impressive, though, and we believe that the two sides could end up cancelling each other out in a low-scoring draw.
Top tip
Data Analysis
Our analysis of all available data, including recent performances and player stats up until an hour before kickoff, suggested the most likely outcome of this match was a Hull City win with a probability of 37.92%. A win for Derby County had a probability of 33.29% and a draw had a probability of 28.8%.
The most likely scoreline for a Hull City win was 0-1 with a probability of 12.41%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 1-2 (7.77%) and 0-2 (7.24%). The likeliest Derby County win was 1-0 (11.43%), while for a drawn scoreline it was 1-1 (13.33%). The actual scoreline of 3-1 was predicted with a 2.6% likelihood.
