Preview: Hull City vs. Leeds United - prediction, team news, lineups

Aiming to widen their pb astatine the apical of the Championship table, Leeds United volition marque the abbreviated travel to the MKM Stadium to instrumentality connected Hull City connected Saturday.

The visitors person extended an unbeaten streak to 7 matches and moved to the acme of the part implicit the festive period, portion their hosts dropped backmost into the relegation portion pursuing a New Year's Day defeat.

Match preview

© Imago

Hull City caput backmost to the MKM Stadium connected Saturday aiming to determination retired of the Championship's bottommost three, having moved into a much competitory presumption nether the caller absorption of Ruben Selles implicit the past month.

Following the dismissal of Tim Walter and a impermanent spell nether Andy Dawson, Selles arrived successful Yorkshire with the Tigers sat astatine the ft of the Championship array connected conscionable 15 points from 19 games, and helium was initially incapable to apprehension a slump arsenic a winless streak was stretched to 13 matches successful his archetypal 2 games astatine the helm.

The Spaniard has since overseen his side's 4th and 5th league wins of the run either broadside of Christmas, though, with a location triumph implicit Swansea City and an distant occurrence implicit Blackburn Rovers separated by a Boxing Day decision to Preston North End.

After Ryan Longman netted the lone extremity successful the travel to Blackburn past Sunday, the Tigers astir precocious hosted Middlesbrough connected New Year's Day and looked acceptable to instrumentality a pleasing constituent from a goalless draw, lone for Alex Gilbert to interruption the deadlock and snatch each 3 points for the visitors successful the 93rd minute.

Left wounded by that agonising decision and having dropped backmost into the relegation portion arsenic a result, albeit lone trailing Portsmouth by a azygous point, Hull City volition present anticipation to bounce backmost to winning ways connected location turf and determination backmost retired of the bottommost 3 astatine the weekend.

© Imago

They look a peculiarly pugnacious test, though, arsenic their visitors get aiming to widen an unbeaten tally and agelong their pb astatine the apical of the Championship.

Aiming to triumph promotion backmost to the Premier League astatine the 2nd clip of asking nether the absorption of Daniel Farke, Leeds United person enjoyed a beardown run frankincense far, amassing 52 points from their 25 outings frankincense far.

Across those games, the Whites person managed 15 victories and lone suffered 3 defeats, having won 5 and drawn 2 of the 7 games since the astir caller of those losses successful precocious November.

After lone collecting 14 points from their archetypal 10 distant league games, Farke's men person present managed back-to-back wins connected the road, beating Stoke City and Derby County 2-0 and 1-0 respectively aft Christmas, earlier astir precocious hosting Blackburn Rovers connected New Year's Day and settling for a constituent arsenic Danny Batth levelled the scores astatine a extremity apiece successful wounded clip aft Pascal Struijk broke the deadlock for the Whites successful the 88th minute.

With chap promotion-chasers Burnley and Sheffield United having besides dropped points connected the crook of the year, Leeds United present find themselves apical of the table, 3 points wide of Sunderland and Sheffield United and 5 up of fourth-placed Sunderland, and they volition purpose to further fortify their lasting with a 16th league triumph of the run connected Sunday.

Hull City Championship form:

Leeds United Championship form:

Team News

© Imago

Hull City proceed to contend with a agelong database of absentees, arsenic Oscar Zambrano remains suspended portion Carl Rushworth, Charlie Hughes, Mohamed Belloumi, Liam Millar, Kasey Palmer and Ryan Longman are sidelined by injuries.

Abu Kamara and Chris Bedia volition vie for starts successful attack, aft Abdulkadir Omur, Joao Pedro and Mason Burstow were preferred for their caller gathering with Hull City.

Elsewhere, Alfie Jones and Sean McLoughlin volition proceed astatine the bosom of a backmost four, portion Regan Slater, Steven Alzate and Gustavo Puerta volition anticipation to support their places successful the midfield contempt contention from Xavier Simons and Harry Vaughan.

Leeds United stay without defender Junior Firpo and midfield Ilia Gruev owed to injuries connected Saturday, portion full-backs Jayden Bogle and Sam Byram are caller doubts for the travel to the MKM Stadium aft picking up their ain concerns.

If Byram is incapable to feature, Max Wober volition travel successful connected the left-hand broadside of the defence, portion Joe Rodon and Pascal Struijk volition proceed their concern successful the centre and skipper Ethan Ampadu could articulation Ao Tanaka successful midfield.

Joel Piroe, who leads the squad with 9 league goals this season, should proceed to spearhead the attack, portion Manor Solomon, Brenden Aaronson, Daniel James, Largie Ramazani and Willy Gnonto volition vie to enactment up successful support, with Aaronson having contributed 7 goals and 2 assists successful the Championship, Gnonto having notched up 4 and 5 respectively and James having added 5 goals and 3 assists.

Hull City imaginable starting lineup:
Pandur; Coyle, Jones, McLoughlin, Giles; Slater, Puerta, Alzate; Omur, Bedia, Burstow

We say: Hull City 0-2 Leeds United

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