Preview: Preston North End vs. Hull City - prediction, team news, lineups

Preston North End volition invited Hull City to Deepdale connected Boxing Day for an important contention astatine the bottommost extremity of the Championship table.

The visitors moved retired of the bottommost 3 with a triumph astatine the weekend, portion their hosts are 4 points amended disconnected successful 18th spot.

Match preview

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Preston North End instrumentality to Deepdale connected Thursday aiming to bounce backmost to winning ways and ascent up the Championship table, having seen an unbeaten tally brought to an extremity earlier Christmas.

Paul Heckingbottom's broadside presently beryllium 18th successful England's 2nd tier, having earned 23 points from their archetypal 22 outings, with their tally of 4 victories being the joint-fewest successful the division.

They recorded a six-match undefeated streak betwixt mid-November and mid-December, albeit lone winning 1 of those having triumphed 2-0 distant astatine Cardiff City aft draws with Derby County, Stoke City, West Bromwich Albion and Sheffield Wednesday.

The Lilywhites were past pegged backmost successful wounded clip against second-placed Leeds United, settling for a 1-1 gully pursuing a Jack Whatmough ain goal, but they were incapable to widen their unbeaten tally further connected Saturday, travelling to Queens Park Rangers and succumbing to a 2-1 decision contempt starring astatine the interval done Milutin Osmajic, arsenic Jimmy Dunne netted the decisive extremity successful the 89th minute.

Left disappointed aft dropping points precocious connected successful consecutive games, Preston North End volition present bid to bounce backmost and determination person to the mediate of the array with a 5th league triumph of the run connected Boxing Day.

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Their visitors, meanwhile, marque the travel to Deepdale aiming to marque it back-to-back league wins aft moving retired of the relegation portion past clip out.

Hull City endured a dismal commencement to their Championship campaign, turning to Ruben Selles successful December having earned conscionable 15 points from their archetypal 19 outings nether Tim Walter and past the impermanent stewardship of Andy Dawson.

Selles was, astatine least, capable to extremity a six-match losing tally successful his archetypal crippled astatine the helm, overseeing a 1-1 gully with Watford lone to suffer 2-1 successful the pursuing travel to Coventry City, leaving them astatine the ft of the array having suffered 11 defeats from their opening 21 games.

They past welcomed Swansea City to the MKM Stadium connected Saturday and ended a 13-match hold for a Championship victory, having initially gone up done Joao Pedro and been pegged backmost earlier Mason Burstow fired the Tigers to a 2-1 triumph 10 minutes from time.

That triumph saw the Tigers yet leap retired of the Championship's bottommost three, but inactive lone starring each broadside successful the driblet portion by a azygous point, they volition anticipation to physique a winning tally nether Selles and determination wide of the menace of relegation successful the coming weeks.

Preston North End Championship form:

Hull City Championship form:

Team News

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Preston North End caput into their Boxing Day contention without defender Liam Lindsay, who is suspended aft being sent disconnected successful their decision to Queens Park Rangers past clip out, portion Andrew Hughes should stay confined to the attraction room.

Given those losses astatine the back, Patrick Bauer should travel successful to articulation Jack Whatmough and Jordan Storey successful beforehand of goalkeeper Freddie Woodman.

Ben Whiteman volition anticipation to instrumentality to the midfield aft Stefan Thordarson and Ali McCann were preferred past clip out, portion Milutin Osmajic volition proceed to pb the enactment aft netting his 4th league extremity of the play successful the weekend's defeat.

Ruben Selles whitethorn opt to tract an unchanged Hull City starting XI from their triumph past weekend, with Oscar Zambrano remaining suspended and Mohamed Belloumi, Kasey Palmer, Liam Millar and Dogukan Sinik each confined to the attraction room.

Mason Burstow does person a assertion to travel into the onslaught aft netting the victor disconnected the bench, though, portion Joao Pedro volition again pb the enactment aft hitting his 4th extremity of the play against Swansea.

Steven Alzate could proceed alongside Regan Slater and Gustavo Puerta successful the midfield, contempt contention from Xavier Simons and Marvin Mehlem, portion Ryan Giles should again get the motion connected the left-hand broadside of a backmost 4 aft lone earning uncommon starts nether Tim Walter.

Preston North End imaginable starting lineup:
Woodman; Storey, Whatmough, Bauer; Potts, McCann, Thordarson, Kesler-Hayden; Greenwood, Osmajic, Keane

We say: Preston North End 1-1 Hull City

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