Derby v Hull preview: Championship clash live on Sky Sports Football
Friday 8 September 2017 20:58, UK
Sam Winnall could be in line to make his Derby debut when Hull visit Pride Park - live on Sky Sports Football on Friday night, but fellow new signing Maikel Kieftenbeld is not yet eligible.
Rams boss Gary Rowett said immediately after the defeat at Sheffield United that there would be changes for the next game, with the international break meaning there has been a two-week gap.
Midfielder Kieftenbeld and striker Winnall have since been added to the group while midfielders Craig Bryson and Jacob Butterfield have departed on loan. However, Derby are still waiting for confirmation from the EFL over the transfer of Kieftenbeld from Birmingham.
Rowett will assess the players returning from international duty but Darren Bent (hamstring) and Max Lowe (abdomen) remain out. He remains cautious with George Thorne and Jason Shackell following their recent returns from long injury lay-offs.
Hull's latest signings Fikayo Tomori, Jackson Irvine and Nouha Dicko are all in contention. Teenage defender Tomori, on a season-long loan from Chelsea, plus midfielder Irvine and striker Dicko, signed for undisclosed fees from Burton and Wolves respectively, are expected to be included.
Fellow recent recruits Stephen Kingsley and Jon Toral are hoping to make their first appearances and midfielder Markus Henriksen is fit again after a foot injury. Head coach Leonid Slutsky will make late decisions on striker Fraizer Campbell (groin), midfielder Evandro (hamstring) and defender Ondrej Mazuch (knee).
Opta stats
Derby have lost four of their last five home matches against Hull in all competitions (W1) - their last meeting at the iPro Stadium was a 3-0 defeat in the 2015/16 play-offs.
The Tigers lost their two league meetings with Derby in the 2015/16 season, and haven't lost three consecutively against the Rams since August 1924.
Derby have lost just two of their last 20 home games in the Championship (W12 D6), keeping 11 clean sheets in this run.
Hull haven't won an away league game since their opening such fixture last season (2-0 at Swansea), with their winless run currently standing at 20 games (D4 L16).
Kamil Grosicki has provided more assists from open play than any other player in the Championship so far this season (3).
David Nugent has scored four goals in his last six league appearances against Hull, including the winner in his last game against the Tigers (1-0 in March 2016, for Middlesbrough).
Prutton's prediction
I'm a big fan of Leonid Slutsky and he wouldn't have wanted the international break to come after their fantastic result against Bolton. They've brought in a few more players again since they last played and he seems to have completely rebuilt Hull's team over the summer.
Derby haven't gotten off to the best start under Gary Rowett this season, they've brought Sam Winnall in who should be a decent addition if he can recapture his Barnsley form. The manager needs more time, but I fancy an away win on Friday night.
Prutton predicts: 1-2 with Jarred Bowen to score first (66/1 with Sky Bet)
