Both Hull City and Ipswich Town will be eager to return to winning ways when they square up against each other at the MKM Stadium.
Newly promoted Hull City and Ipswich Town will face off on Saturday, with both sides looking to secure three valuable points. They have made encouraging starts to the season and sit in the middle of the table after eight rounds of fixtures. However, avoiding relegation remains their priority, and a win here could go a long way towards achieving that goal.
The home team are 10th on the table with 10 points in their eight outings. Hull started their campaign with a sensational 2-0 win over Manchester United and backed it up with a 1-0 win over Coventry City. However, things have only gone downhill for them since.
They are yet to win another league game and are heading into this fixture on the back of a 1-1 draw against Brentford. The Bees were the more dominant team, and they got the result they deserved. Hull will have to do much better if they are to secure all three points at home against Ipswich.
Meanwhile, the visitors are 12th on the table with 10 points in their eight outings. They have won three, drawn one and lost four league games so far. Their last league win came against Fulham a couple of weeks back.
They have since lost to Manchester City and played out a draw against Nottingham Forest last time out. Ipswich would like to be more creative in the final third here, as they look to get back to winning ways and secure their fourth league win of the campaign. The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at both teams and tries to predict the tactics they could deploy.
The home team will be without the services of Eliot Matazo (knee), Matt Targett (ankle), Ilyas Ansah (back), Darko Gyabi (groin) and Charlie Hughes (groin) because of injury. Meanwhile, Lucas Gourna-Douath (calf), Nobel Mendy (groin) and Jack Butland (arm) are major doubts and will be assessed ahead of kick-off.
Hull are likely to line up in a 5-4-1 formation, with Konstantinos Tzolakis starting in goal. Lewie Coyle and Ryan Giles should occupy the wing-back positions, while Lucas Herrington is expected to join John Egan and Semi Ajayi in the heart of the defence.
Mohamed Belloumi and Elliot Stroud are likely to operate on the flanks, with Tim Iroegbunam and Regan Slater forming the central midfield partnership. The midfield four will look to ensure Hull control the tempo of the gam.
Oli McBurnie is expected to lead the line as the lone striker.
Probable lineup (5-4-1): Tzolakis; Coyle, Ajayi, Egan, Herrington, Giles; Belloumi, Iroegbunam, Slater, Stroud; McBurnie
The visitors have the majority of their players available for selection, as Jack Taylor (knee) is the only one who is ruled out. Apart from him, Sasa Lukic remains a doubt because of a groin issue and will undergo a late fitness test to determine his availability.
Ipswich are likely to line up in a 4-2-3-1 formation, with Christian Walton starting in goal. Abdoul Ouattara and Leif Davis should occupy the full-back positions, while Dara O’Shea is expected to partner Issa Diop in central defence.
Exequiel Palacios and Florentino Luis are likely to form the midfield double pivot, providing defensive cover while helping Ipswich initiate attacks.
Abdul Fatawu and Jaden Philogene should operate on the flanks, with Julio Enciso taking up the attacking midfield role behind Emersonn, who is expected to lead the line.
Probable lineup (4-2-3-1): Walton; Ouattara, O’Shea, Diop, Davis; Palacios, Luis; Fatawu, Enciso, Philogene; Emersonn
The 24-year-old Ipswich winger has yet to register a goal or an assist this season. He played a big role in their promotion to the top flight with 14 goal contributions in less than 2,000 minutes spread across his 35 Championship appearances last season.
While he had quite an impact last season, he is yet to hit top gear this season since returning from his ankle injury. Philogene will be eager to get his name on the scoresheet and, more importantly, help his team secure all three points here.
Both teams have struggled to find consistency in recent weeks and will be desperate to return to winning ways. Hull City have failed to build on their impressive start to the campaign and could find it difficult to break down an Ipswich side that has shown some attacking promise. The hosts will have home advantage, but their recent performances suggest they still have plenty of work to do.
Ipswich have also been inconsistent, particularly away from home, but they have enough quality in the final third to trouble Hull. Jaden Philogene and Abdul Fatawu could prove important with their pace and direct running, while Emersonn will look to make the most of the chances created. The visitors are backed to edge a closely fought contest and claim all three points. The Hard Tackle predicts a 2-1 win for the away team.
