Aiming to make it back-to-back wins and return to the top six of the Championship table, Hull City will welcome Millwall to the MKM Stadium on Saturday.
The hosts find themselves two points behind Coventry City in the final playoff spot after 28 games, while their visitors sit 16th in the midst of a three-match winless run.
Match preview
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Hull City return to the MKM Stadium on Saturday aiming to give their Championship playoff hopes a boost, having lost some ground in the top-six fight since mid-December.
From their opening 22 matches in England's second tier, the Yorkshire outfit amassed 36 points courtesy of 10 victories alongside just six defeats, but they went on to lose four of their next five league outings around the turn of the year.
A 3-2 victory over Blackburn Rovers in their final game of last year was the only reprieve, as Liam Rosenior's men went on to fall short against Sheffield Wednesday and Norwich City at the beginning of 2023, before heading into their latest league outing away at Sunderland on the back of an FA Cup exit at the hands of Birmingham City.
Seeking to reduce the gap back up to the top six in a tough trip to Wearside, the Tigers were successful in bouncing back to winning ways, leaving with all three points as Fabio Carvalho netted the only goal of the game 19 minutes from time.
Now returning well rested, having not been involved in the FA Cup fourth round or any midweek Championship action, Hull City find themselves just two points off the playoff places with a game in hand on seventh-placed Sunderland and sixth-placed Coventry City, and they will now bid to make it two straight victories and leap back into the playoff spots at the weekend before playing their extra match.
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In their way stand a Millwall side who will bid to return to winning ways at the MKM Stadium, after seeing an improved streak of form halted in recent weeks.
Joe Edwards took over as manager at The Den in mid-November, and after kicking off in eye-catching fashion under their new boss with a 4-0 beating of Sheffield Wednesday, the London outfit quickly hit a tough run and failed to win any of their next seven outings in England's second tier.
The Lions would then bounce back impressively during the festive period, putting three consecutive wins on the board against Queens Park Rangers, Norwich City and Bristol City, but they have been unable to add another notch to their wins column in three attempts since that last triumph on New Year's Day.
A tough test at home to Middlesbrough and the reverse fixture away at Queens Park Rangers ended in defeats, before they most recently hosted Preston North End at the weekend and put a point on the board in a 1-1 draw, having gone ahead through Zian Flemming inside five minutes before Brad Potts levelled the scores.
While those victories did see Millwall gain crucial ground in the fight for Championship survival, having now built up an eight-point lead over the drop zone in 16th spot after previously sitting in a concerning position, they will know that their work is far from done this season and will bid to climb further up the division, as opposed to being dragged back into the mix, with an improved run in the coming weeks.
Team News
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Liam Rosenior is unlikely to make many changes to his Hull City side from their 1-0 win away at Sunderland in mid-January, with midfielder Jean-Michael Seri and winger Adama Traore remaining away on international duty at the Africa Cup of Nations and key attackers Jaden Philogene, Liam Delap and Aaron Connolly all likely continuing spells in the treatment room.
Those losses leave the Tigers light in the forward areas, but Noah Ohio has arrived on loan from Standard Liege and could lead the line from the start, while Liverpool loanee Fabio Carvalho is bound to feature in support of a front man again after netting the decisive goal at the stadium of light.
Elsewhere, in Seri's absence, Regan Slater could again join Tyler Morton in the engine room, despite competition from Greg Docherty, while Jordan Greaves and Alfie Jones should continue at the heart of a back four with Ryan Giles pushing to earn a debut on the left-hand side after arriving on an initial loan from Luton Town this week.
Millwall continue to deal with several absences of their own heading into the weekend, with Shaun Hutchinson likely remaining confined to the treatment room alongside Tom Bradshaw, Ryan Leonard and Aidomo Emakhu, while winger Ryan Longman will not feature against his parent club.
In Longman's absence, Burnley loanee Michael Obafemi should come into the attack from the outset alongside Zian Flemming and Kevin Nisbet, while Casper De Norre should also return from the outset in midfield alongside Billy Mitchell, despite George Honeyman and George Saville also vying for starting spots.
Behind them in Edwards's 3-4-3 setup, and in the absence of Hutchinson, Wes Harding, Jake Cooper and Tottenham Hotspur loanee Japhet Tanganga are bound to line up in an unchanged back three, with Brooke Norton-Cuffy continuing to offer further attacking support from a right wing-back role.
Hull City possible starting lineup:
Allsop; Coyle, Jones, Greaves, Giles; Slater, Morton; Sayyadmanesh, Carvalho, Lokilo; Ohio
Millwall possible starting lineup:
Sarkic; Tanganga, Cooper, Harding; Norton-Cuffy, De Norre, Mitchell, Bryan; Obafemi, Flemming, Nisbet
We say: Hull City 2-1 Millwall
Even without several key players, particularly going forward, Hull City boast plenty of quality in their ranks, and on the back of a confidence-boosting win away at Sunderland and a weekend away from the action, we fancy them to strengthen their playoff claim with a home triumph at the weekend.
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Sam Varley
