Two sides desperately hoping to escape relegation go head to head in the Premier League this weekend as Burnley travel to the KC Stadium to face Hull City.
Burnley are bottom in the table and can be relegated this weekend, while Hull are just a point outside the bottom three, having played a game more than Sunderland, who sit below them.
Hull City
© Getty Images
With Sunderland just a point behind them with a game in hand, Steve Bruce knows that his side need to keep picking up points if they are to stay in the top flight next season.
Back-to-back wins over Crystal Palace and Liverpool at the end of April have given the Tigers some hope, but a 3-1 loss to Arsenal on Monday keeps them near the bottom of the standings.
Hull have one of the more difficult run-ins, with Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United still to come after this outing, making it all the more important that the side pick up points this weekend.
Hull's defending has been stronger than their league position suggests, with the team conceding just 48 goals and keeping nine clean sheets so far this season, giving them a better record at the back than the likes of Spurs and Newcastle United.
Scoring goals has been a something of a challenge for the side in recent weeks though, but Nikica Jelavic was back on the bench last time out, so Bruce will be hoping that the team's top scorer can help them survive the relegation battle.
Five of Hull's eight wins this campaign have come at the KC Stadium, with the team picking up points in more than half of their matches at home, so the side will be hoping that their home supporters can give them another boost this weekend.
Recent form: LLLWWL
Burnley
© Getty Images
Burnley will be relegated if they do not win this weekend, as Sean Dyche's side sit eight points from safety with just nine points still to play for.
Last weekend's 1-0 defeat to West Ham will have come as a massive disappointment to the side, particularly since Michael Duff's red card was rescinded, which will have left the team wondering if they could have avoided the loss with 11 players on the pitch.
The prospect of a trip away from Turf Moor will not be a welcome one, as the Clarets have won just once away from their home stadium this season, with that victory coming back in November at Stoke City's Britannia Stadium.
Burnley come into this match with five defeats in their last six outings, including their last four, with their last win coming back in March when they edged to a win over Manchester City, which was also the last match in which they scored a goal.
No side has scored fewer goals that Burnley in the Premier League this season, with the Clarets having only found the back of the net 26 times this season, two fewer than Sunderland, who have the next lowest total.
If Burnley can secure all three points this weekend to remain in contention to stay in the top flight next season, they will have to beat Stoke City and Aston Villa in their final two matches, while hoping the sides above them all drop points.
Recent form: LDLLLL
Team News
© Getty Images
Burnley were handed a boost earlier this week when they won their appeal against Duff's dismissal at Upton Park last weekend, meaning that he is available to play in this fixture.
Dyche has tended to name an unchanged side when possible this season, and with Duff now available again, the manager will have that option again this weekend.
However, striker Sam Vokes could be available to return from a two-game absence with a thigh injury, although the manager has said that he is still a doubt.
Bruce has indicated that his side will be looking to Jelavic in the final matches of the season, which could see the Croatian recalled to the starting lineup after managing nine minutes off the bench in the loss to Arsenal.
The manager has not revealed whether his side have any new injury problems following Monday's outing, but David Meyler could be a doubt after he received a cut to his face, although he did manage to finish that match.
Hull City possible starting lineup:
Harper, Robertson, Dawson, McShane, Bruce, Meyler, Huddlestone, Quinn, Brady, N'Doye, Jelavic
Burnley possible starting lineup:
Heaton, Trippier, Duff, Shackell, Mee, Boyd, Arfield, Jones, Taylor, Barnes, Ings
Head To Head
When these two sides met earlier in the season Burnley clinched a 1-0 win at Turf Moor, giving them their first victory of the campaign.
In fact, Burnley have won eight of their nine previous clashes with the Tigers, with their only defeat coming in the 2012-13 Championship campaign, when Hull claimed a 1-0 victory over the Clarets.
One memorable clash between these two sides came back in 2008, when Hull secured a 2-0 win, but both sides finished the match with nine men after four players were sent off.
Hull have beaten Burnley just five times in their 19 previous meetings, while Burnley have 13 wins. Just once have the pair played to a draw.
Video Preview
Hit play below to see what the Sports Mole Sofa had to say about this encounter:
We say: Hull City 1-0 Burnley
Draws certainly do not happen often between these two, and Hull have just had the edge in recent weeks, particularly with their win over Liverpool. If Jelavic's return gives the side the boost that Bruce is hoping for, and Burnley continue to struggle away from home, then the Tigers should have enough to clinch all three points.
Sian Cowper
