Hull v Middlesbrough preview
Thursday 27 September 2018 19:02, UK
Hull will be without midfielder Dan Batty for the Sky Bet Championship clash with high-flying Middlesbrough.
Batty damaged a knee during the 2-0 victory over Ipswich on September 15 and has missed the two games since, and he will be unavailable once again this weekend. Striker Evandro, who sat out last Saturday's 3-0 defeat at Reading with a hamstring problem, will also be missing, while defender Ondrej Mazuch is still working his way back to full fitness.
Manager Nigel Adkins has hinted in the run-up to the game that Poland international Kamil Grosicki, who has been used as a substitute in the last two games, needs to do more to force his way into the starting line-up.
Boro boss Tony Pulis is likely to turn to his big guns once again after making 11 changes for Tuesday night's penalty shoot-out victory at Preston in the third round of the Carabao Cup.
There was a debut for on-loan Wolves defender Danny Batth and a first start for Sam McQueen, also on a temporary deal at the Riverside Stadium from Southampton, at Deepdale, while striker Rudy Gestede made his first appearance of the season after recovering from an ankle injury.
Dael Fry, Paddy McNair, Grant Leadbitter, Ashley Fletcher and Gestede in particular will hope to have pressed their claims for inclusion at the KCOM Stadium. But with the Teessiders lying second in the table on goal difference, Pulis, who has no fresh injury concerns, is unlikely to stray too far from the side which started against Swansea last Saturday.
Opta stats
Hull have lost four of their last five league matches against Middlesbrough, winning the other 4-2 in the Premier League in April 2017.
Middlesbrough have lost four of their last five league matches away at Hull but won most recently in their game last season.
Hull ended a five game losing streak in the league at home with a win against Ipswich Town, they haven't won successive games at the KCOM Stadium since four consecutive games in April 2017.
Middlesbrough have lost just one of their last 13 Championship games excluding play-offs (W8 D4), keeping seven clean sheets in their last nine games (W5 D2 L1).
Middlesbrough manager Tony Pulis has won five of his last six league meetings with Hull (D1).
Jarrod Bowen has been directly involved in three of Hull's last five Championship goals (2 goals, 1 assist).
Prutton's prediction
Hull are struggling. They have lost four of their five games, are hovering dangerously above the relegation zone and were desperately poor against Reading last week.
Middlesbrough's defensive record is incredible. They have conceded just three so far this season at a time when no one else has conceded fewer than six and 19 of the 24 sides in the Championship have already looked 10 or more. They should sneak this one.
David Prutton predicts: 0-1 (6/1 with Sky Bet)
