Hello and welcome to Sports Mole's live text coverage of the Premier League meeting between Hull City and Burnley at the KCOM Stadium. The Tigers are looking up following a positive run of results under new boss Marco Silva, albeit seeing their momentum come to a halt with defeat to Arsenal a fortnight ago, while the visitors are well clear of the drop zone and instead eyeing a place in the top half.

This is a fixture that the Clarets tends to like, even if they did see their hopes of three points go begging with virtually the final kick of the ball in the reverse meeting, but it is City who will fancy their chances of claiming another huge win this afternoon. There is plenty to get through between now and kickoff at 3pm, so let us get straight into things by checking out some confirmed team news.

TEAM NEWS!

HULL CITY XI: Jakupovic, Elabdellaoui, Robertson, Maguire, Ranocchia, Elmohamady, Huddlestone, N'Diaye, Maloney, Grosicki, Mbokani

BURNLEY XI: Heaton, Lowton, Keane, Mee, Ward, Boyd, Barton, Westwood, Brady, Barnes, Gray

Starting with a look at the visiting team, boss Sean Dyche has reverted back to the team that earned a 1-1 draw against Chelsea a fortnight ago in the Premier League. It was a fairly strong XI named by Dyche for the visit of Lincoln City seven days ago - more on that later - but the likes of George Boyd and Robbie Brady have today come in from the off to face their former club in this Humberside showdown.

Johann Berg Gudmundsson has been unfortunate with the injuries he has picked up this term, and after tweaking his medial knee ligaments fairly early on in that shock defeat to Lincoln - to be replaced by Boyd - he drops out of the squad entirely this afternoon. Steven Defour has returned to training this week following his hamstring layoff, but this one comes too soon for him so Joey Barton and Ashley Westwood continue to pair up in midfield.

Another absentee for Burnley today is Jeff Hendrick, who sits out the second of his three-match ban for the sending off at Watford earlier this month. With Sam Vokes dropping out from last weekend, Andre Gray is tasked with leading the line, with George Boyd providing some support alongside him. Gray has scored seven goals in 23 appearances overall this season, but none in his last four outings. Worryingly, no Clarets player has an away assist to their name this term.

Switching attention to the hosts, Silva has made three alterations to the side that lost 2-0 at the Emirates Stadium in what feels like a lifetime ago. Sam Clucas drops out of the XI due to suspension, seeing his place taken by Shaun Maloney, while Ahmed Elmohamady and Dieumerci Mbokani also come back into the fold. Mbokani is understood to have been struggling with illness this week, but he is clearly feeling well enough to feature today.

Lazar Markovic misses out on inclusion entirely and Oumar Niasse drops down to the bench. Abel Hernandez, again linked with a big-money move to China before the window closes early next week, is among the subs after shaking off a hamstring problem. Kamil Grosicki is one of those to have come into the side since being recruited in January and made an instant impact, facing off this afternoon against a side that tried to sign him last summer only for a move to break down on deadline day. Get every last penny on him finding a late winner!

BENCH WATCH!

HULL CITY SUBS: Marshall, Meyler, Hernandez, Diomande, Niasse, Tymon, Bowen

BURNLEY SUBS: Robinson, Flanagan, Tarkowski, Arfield, Vokes, Darikwa, Agyei

Hernandez and Niasse both among the Hull subs this afternoon, then, with Mbokani instead being preferred in attack. With a number of midfield players missing out through injury and suspension, Barton retains his place in the Burnley side for his 50th Premier League appearance as a clarets player, with Scott Arfield, Sam Vokes and Jon Flanagan each dropping out from last weekend's humiliation at home to non-league side Lincoln in the FA Cup.

Diemurci Mbokani, pictured in action here for Norwich City last season, has yet to find the net for Hull City in 11 appearances. That has not stopped Tigers boss Marco Silva bringing him into the side as one of three changes from last time out - his first appearance of any sort for the club in nearly two months due to AFCON commitments and illness. Sean Dyche reverts back to the side that faced Chelsea fortnight ago, meanwhile, a week on from crashing out of the FA Cup.

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A chance this afternoon for Hull to get their resurgence back on track under Silva, having seen their momentum stutter of late due to defeat at Arsenal and a fortnight break between games. That winter hiatus is not such a bad thing, in truth, allowing the new man in charge to integrate an array of new players into the fold during a short break in Portugal. Four wins in nine games overall is a very impressive return, going a long way to proving the doubters - well, Paul Merson - very wrong indeed.

In the Premier League, it is seven points from a possible 15 games, made all the impressive when taking into consideration that they have faced Chelsea, Manchester United and Arsenal away during that time, as well as Liverpool here a few weeks back. The decision to oust Mike Phelan came as a little surprising at the time, even if the Tigers were struggling at the bottom of the table, but you have to say it is a gamble that so far looks to have paid off.

The draw at Old Trafford was built on a good, solid defensive showing, while the victory over Liverpool here was more about waiting to pounce on the break and taking the rare chances that fell their way. There was to be no such triumphs at Stamford Bridge or the Emirates Stadium either side of those games, meaning Silva's men still find themselves inside the drop zone heading into the final few months of the season and needing a single point to climb to safety.

It remains incredibly tight at the bottom end of the division, with just three points now separating bottom of the table Sunderland and Middlesbrough in 16th. Throw into the mix Swansea City and Bournemouth, who have experienced contrasting fortunes since the turn of the year and both still remain in trouble, it is fair to say that it will likely go right down to the wire. A cliche it might be, but every point really does count between now and come what may.

Hull's recent tough run of games does now become a little friendlier, as they follow up this winnable match against mid-table opposition by taking on fellow strugglers Leicester and Swansea in successive weeks - a run that will tell us a lot more about each of those sides and how they handle the pressure. Nine points will be the dream for City fans, but victory today and they may well be able to head to the King Power Stadium with the safety net of being able to hold out for a decent away point.

DID YOU KNOW? Hull City have lost just one of their last 10 home matches in all competitions, winning exactly half of those, including the last two. The Tigers have only tasted defeat here to Manchester City since the tail end of October, but they have never previously won three home matches on the spin in the Premier League, which they can of course achieve today if they see off away-day strugglers Burnley.

The Humberside outfit have failed to score in 12 Premier League games this term, however, including in three of their last four, which is the worst record in the division. That must be rectified if they are to continue their upwards trajectory and climb out of the relegation zone, while another poor record that has seen them already concede 11 top-flight penalties - the joint-most across a season, equal with Blackburn Rovers in 2007 - also needs to be sorted.

It has been a far more comfortable campaign for visitors Burnley, meanwhile, who have been free from the threat of relegation pretty much throughout and currently sit in the lofty heights of 12th place. The Clarets are 10 points off relegation and potentially just one win from climbing into ninth place, so Dyche can put his feet up over the next few months in the knowledge that this season will be seen as a success regardless of last week's shocker of a result.

Whether it was a case of taking their eye off the ball or just simply being the victims of so-called FA Cup magic, the Clarets will be desperate to put that 1-0 loss to Lincoln behind them today. Burnley came unstuck in the final minute of normal time, finding themselves on the wrong end of an historic result as the Imps became the first non-league team in more than 90 years to make it through to the last eight. A disappointment it may have been, but by climbing into ninth fans will soon be back onside.

As tough as last week's result was to take for Sean Dyche and his Burnley side, the Premier League always remain the top priority for newly-promoted sides and the Clarets are well on course to finally avoid the drop in their first campaign following Championship promotion. In fact, a top-half finish is a realistic target now if the players remain motivated over the coming weeks and month, with victory today potentially taking them into ninth spot.

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PREVIOUS MEETINGS! Burnley are unbeaten in five previous Premier League games against Hull City, winning four and drawing the other - the reverse fixture played at Turf Moor in the opening month of the season. The Tigers did win the last home league encounter between the two teams, though - a 3-0 Championship victory just over a year ago. The Clarets' biggest ever away win in the Prem came at this ground, when easing to a 4-1 triumph in April 2010.

The omens certainly look good for Burnley this afternoon if recent Premier League results in this fixture are anything to go by, but a quick glance at the away form guide this term tells a completely different story. It is fair to say that the Lancashire outfit have their home success to thank for a potential top-10 finish this term, having collected 29 of their 30 points at Turf Moor - the fourth-best record in the entire division.

Their away form really is abysmal, however, taking just a solitary point from a trip to Old Trafford last year. Across their 11 away outings, Burnley have scored just five goals and conceded a whopping 24 to give them a goal difference of -19, compared to +10 from their matches at fortress Turf Moor. To put it into a little more perspective, only Queens Park Rangers have collected fewer points at this stage of a season - saying an awful lot about how poor they were - with seven of those defeats coming in succession.

The home draw with Chelsea a couple of weeks back, coming after a disappointing 2-1 loss to Watford when reduced to 10 men, pretty much summed up what we all knew - Burnley are a tough nut to crack at Turf Moor but very much there for the taking when making the trip out of Lancashire. Dyche's charges face strugglers Burnley, Swansea and Sunderland in three of their next four games, with Liverpool at Anfield also thrown in for good measure.

PREDICTION! This is the start of a run of four-successive away matches for Burnley, in fact, which Dyche claims is a good thing for his side as they can finally look to put their away-day hoodoo to bed. That may take some doing this afternoon, as Hull have lost just one of their last 10 matches here in all competitions, but I can see them at least picking up just a second Premier League point of the campaign away from home in a 1-1 draw.

With kickoff at the KCOM Stadium now less than 10 minutes away, let us check out some pre-match thoughts from both camps.

Marco Silva: "For us, it's always the same thing. The pressure always stays with the team and the coaches. It's one more game and of course we respect Burnley. We want to win and prove ourselves on the pitch. Always when you play it's a good opportunity for us to take points."

Sean Dyche: "I think it's brilliant for us because the timing's magnificent. The teams on the opposite side, they are expected [to win] now, we're not because everyone looks at the form book and goes, 'Well it's going to be hard for them to win away because they haven't won any away.'"

There are those Dyche quotes in full, with the Burnley boss claiming that this upcoming run of matches is "brilliant" for his side. Only if you put this dismal record to one side, Sean, because otherwise the Clarets will potentially slide back down the table and an otherwise positive season will have a second blemish to it. Silva, who really has impressed since taking over in January, is taking each game as it comes, starting with this winnable match at home to the Lancashire outfit.

Both sets of players have now made their way out on to the field of play, with kickoff just a few moments away. Burnley remain unchanged from their last Premier League outing, meaning Andre Gray once again starts up top, while Hull City make a few alterations from the defeat to Arsenal a fortnight ago. Diemurci Mbokani comes in for a first appearance in nearly two months, keeping Oumar Niasse and Abel Hernandez on the bench.

Burnley can climb back into the top half of the Premier League with victory on Humberside this afternoon, but they have picked up just one point from 11 away outings all term - the worst record in the division. Hull City, in the bottom three since October, know that a win today will take them out of the dreaded bottom three. Here we go!

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KICKOFF! A decent enough start from the hosts, as they work the ball from back to front. A poor delivery into the box cost them in the end, though, with Heaton there to collect the ball underneath his crossbar.

SAVE! Some slack play at the back from Hull allows their opponents to put together an attack; the balled being laid off for Barton to hit into a City body. Burnley come forward again, though, and Boyd sends a shot down the middle for Jakupovic to get behind.

It is the hosts who have started the better in these opening five minutes, making the most of some lax defending from their opponents. Just the one Boyd shot to show for it, which Jakupovic simply kept out down the middle with Gray waiting to pounce on any loose ball.

Still waiting for the Tigers to find their rhythm at the moment, with home fans a little on edge. A real big afternoon for City, this, as they know they can move out of the drop zone and drag Leicester into the mire.

City supporters a little unhappy with a few of the decisions made by Martin Atkinson early on. No major calls for the man in the middle to make in what has largely been an uneventful start to this Premier League clash.

A decent cross from Brady into a deep position, but a Hull player managed to get their head on the free kick first. The ball makes its way back down the field and from Heaton's punt a couple of visiting players are offside.

Maguire stands his ground at the front post to concede a corner, which is sent in by Brady but easily dealt with. Hull are still yet to find any sort of rhythm in this contest, with Dyche's men the team on top early on.

CLOSE! First serious attacking move from either side, as Elmohamady floats in a cross for Mbokani to get on the end of. The striker's header was not all that clean, though, and ended wide of the intended target.

Momentum does appear to be swinging more towards Hull's favour now, but they still have just that half-chance for Mbokani to show for their efforts over the opening 17 minutes. Boyd turns and looks to pick out Gray, only for the offside flag to go up.

Burnley forward Barnes caught offside for the third or fourth time already, which is incredibly frustrating to see. Not shaping up to be a thriller, it is fair to say, with the odd goal looking likely to win this one at this rate.

Hull moving the ball forward nicely at the moment, finding themselves in some decent positions but falling short with the final ball. Elmohamady has a pop from range but is unable to test Heaton between the Burnley sticks.

Half a chance of Grosicki after Heaton was caught in no man's land. Mbokani failed to get on the end of Maloney's pass, but the ball fell nicely for Grosicki to take on from the edge of the box, with his lofted shot ending over the crossbar.

It is certainly Hull who are enjoying more of the ball now following that positive start from the visitors. A game of few chances so far - Mbokani heading wide from one and Boyd sending a shot down the middle up the other end.

Real frustration for City, who are playing some nice football - Maloney in particular looking lively - but time and time again the final ball is lacking. Up the other end, Lowton's pass was poor when he had two runners to pick out.

Boyd with a sweet ball in behind for Boyd down the left, but the former Hull man blasts wide of the target. City soon put an attack of their own together, which Grosicki sends wide via a big deflection inside the area.

A real theme developing in the opening third of the match - plenty of intent from both teams but some real poor quality when it comes to that final pass. Brady in particular has squandered some good openings in wide positions.

The bounce favours Gray in the box but he looks to do it all himself and is quickly ushered off the ball. Dyche shakes his head in frustration, but his side are nearly in again as Jakupovic's clearance goes as far as Brady, who picks out nobody in particular.

A nasty injury for Maguire, who looked to buckle his knee when going for a clearance in the box. Could be one of those that he shakes off in a few minutes, or - worst case scenario - one that rules him out for the rest of the season.

OFF THE BAR! Almost a bit of a howler for Jakupovic, who failed to hold on to Mee's back-post header. The ball looped slightly on to the crossbar and was dealt with at the third attempt. Only a minor scare, but essentially as close to a goal as we have come.

YELLOW CARD! Martin Atkinson shows the first yellow card of the match to Westwood, who pulled back on Huddlestone to bring an end to a positive City attack. A free kick now within shooting range, six minutes from half time.

CLOSE! Grosicki takes on the free kick, which ends just inches over the bar. Heaton looked rather worried as he dived across, but the January signing put a tad too much on his attempt and we still await the breakthrough goal.

Good refereeing from Atkinson, who allowed play to continue when Huddlestone clattered into Brady. Nothing came of the attack so a free kick was awarded, which Brady sends well wide of the target via a touch off the wall.

Some defending for Hull to do at the end of the opening 45 minutes, with the corner not entirely dealt with. Barton smashed it back into the area but no Clarets player could make telling contact and the half-time whistle will surely now sound.

Elmohamady leaps well at the back post but cannot direct Grosicki's cross on target, signalling the end of a flat first half. Plenty for Hull City to build on, having seen more of the ball and created one half-chance so far, while Burnley are looking good value to pick up just a second away point of the campaign.

George Boyd's shot inside the first few minutes, which was sent right down the middle for Eldin Jakupovic to keep hold of, proved to be one of the rare openings for either side in a flat first half. Hull's best opening fell the way of Diemurci Mbokani, brought in for his first appearance under Marco Silva, who could only send Ahmed Elmohamady's cross wide of the far post with his head.

Burnley, starting a run of four consecutive away games on the spin this afternoon, were seeing less of the ball as the first half transpired and nearly fell behind when Kamil Grosicki - a player they tried to sign last summer - flashed a free kick narrowly wide. The only other opportunity came 37 minutes in when Eldin Jakupovic failed to keep hold of Ben Mee's back-post header, only collecting at the second attempt once it bounced back off the bar.

One of the quieter halves of football you are likely to see this football, then, and the only goalless match at this midway stage in the Premier League this afternoon. Elsewhere, Palace lead Middlesbrough and Swansea are on course for a point against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge, so that puts even more importance on the next 45 minutes as far as strugglers Hull are concerned.

Could we see either manager make a switch at the break? Unlikely on the face of it, but both teams lacked quality in the final third, so an injection of attacking quality would not go amiss. Here is a reminder of both benches...

HULL CITY SUBS: Marshall, Meyler, Hernandez, Diomande, Niasse, Tymon, Bowen

BURNLEY SUBS: Robinson, Flanagan, Tarkowski, Arfield, Vokes, Darikwa, Agyei

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RESTART! Hull get proceedings back up and running at the KCOM Stadium. No changes made by either manager at half time, meaning the injury sustained by Maguire in the first half was not as bad as initially feared.

Brady sends in a free kick which is easily dealt with. Moments later, a decent delivery into the Hull box is helped behind for a corner and City now have a chance to put some pressure on their opponents. Lively start to the second period.

Hull do little with the corner and, when picked out with a searching pass from deep a minute or so late, Mbokani could only glance the ball wide of the far post. Get the impression that this is going to be a frustrating afternoon for Silva.

So, so frustrating. Robertson looks to make something happen down the left by motoring forward. After losing the ball Lowton had a fairly simple ball around the back for Gray, but he overhit it and the offside flag was up regardless.

Gray only had eyes for goal as he cuts inside and works a one-on-one position against Ranocchia, but he can only blast it into the legs of the Hull defender. Boyd then went in on Maguire but somehow avoided a yellow card - unbelievable call from the ref.

YELLOW CARD! To add insult to injury, Huddlestone is cautioned for shoving Boyd. How the Burnley man avoided a red card I do not know. He connected with Maguire's shine, but Martin Atkinson clearly did not have a clear view of it.

SHOT! Burnley have stepped things up from the past minute or so, sending a shot just inches wide through Barnes. The forward was all of 30 yards out but had Jakupovic scrambling across goal. As good an attempt we have seen today.

CLOSE! Barton takes on a free kick from around 30 yards out, which clips the top of the wall and is swept away by Ranocchia. A smart ball over the top gives Gray something to chase down but, after a positive first touch, he drags the ball narrowly wide.

Now more than an hour into this match and still neither manager has made a change. Burnley had by far the better of this second half at the KCOM Stadium, sending shots narrowly wide through both Barnes and Gray in quick succession.

CLOSE! After a period of Burnley domination, it is Hull's turn to come close in a far livelier second half here. Mbokani threaded the ball through for Grosicki, who looked to pick out the far corner but sent it agonisingly wide.

HULL CITY SUBS! A double alteration from Silva, as he turns to Niasse and Meyler for Mbokani and Meyler. Prior to that, Hull had three corners in quick succession, each causing danger but each dealt with - just!

Silva the first to roll the dice, then, knowing that three points would have been the target from this match. Dyche will also be looking for the three points but will not mind just a second draw of the campaign away from home.

Barton jumps into Huddlestone and claims that he was elbowed but, much like seven days ago against Lincoln, contact was minimal. Around 20 minutes left to play on Humberside and still very little between the two teams.

PENALTY TO BURNLEY! Grosicki delays taking on the shot, but at the second attempt his attempt is deflected wide for yet another corner. The ball pops up and hits Michael Keane on the hand - a superb spot from the referee, who points to the spot.

Huddlestone fires Hull into the lead from the spot - a potentially huge moment in the fight for survival. Heaton did very well to get across and even got a touch to the ball, but he could not get enough to it prevent it from creeping in.

Keane blasts Burnley level, just a few minutes after conceding a penalty up the other end! Brady's corner was perfectly chested down by the defender, who had time to rifle it through the legs of Jakupovic to make it 1-1.

All to play for now at the KCOM Stadium following a frenetic five-minute spell in the match. Elabdellaoui sends in a cross which comes to nothing, but he picked up a knock and is now receiving some treatment to break up play.

Elabdellaoui is back with us after a short stoppage. Less than 10 minutes to play now on Humberside and you would not bet against one of these sides finding a third of the evening; both sensing that three points are there for the taking.

HULL CITY SUB! Things have quietened down a little since the short stoppage in play. Elabdellaoui is unable to carry on and is replaced by Hernandez in an attack-minded change from Silva. Dyche yet to make a change.

This second half has certainly made up for what was a rather poor first-half spectacle. Still time for a winner here, and substitute Hernandez nearly scored it by directing a header just inches wide. Plenty of those near-misses over the past 40 minutes.

BURNLEY SUBS! Sam Vokes replaces Gray and James Tarkowski is on for Westwood for the closing stages at the KCOM Stadium. Can the Clarets hold on for just a second away point of the campaign? Hull desperately need all three points.

BURNLEY SUB! Brady leaves to a nice applause from all four section of the ground to be replaced by Arfield. Hernandez's glanced header the closest we have come to a winner since Keane levelled the match up.

RED CARD! Barnes backs into Ranocchia and is shown a second yellow card late on. The first came for something he said to the referee after he awarded Hull a penalty. Surely too late for that to have any impact?!

Referee Martin Atkinson, who made a great call to award Hull City a penalty three-quarters through the match, blows his whistle for full time. It was a match that can best be described a slow burner, with the contest bursting into life 72 minutes in when Tom Huddlestone opened the scoring - just! - from the penalty spot. Michael Keane, at fault for conceding the pen, was then on hand to level up for Burnley with a well-taken finish four minutes later.

That concludes Sports Mole's live text coverage of events at the KCOM Stadium. An on-the-whistle report can be found by clicking here, while reaction from this and the day's other top-flight matches will be available to view elsewhere on the site in the coming hours. Thanks for joining!