Hull City will take on Norwich City at the MKM Stadium on Friday night with the opportunity to move to sixth position in the Championship standings.
Meanwhile, Norwich finds themselves in the thirteenth spot with David Wagner under pressure to keep his job, victory on Humberside will move them to within a point of their seventh-placed opponents.
Match Preview
Hull City is currently sitting in seventh position in the Championship table, and it is believed that Liam Rosenior is performing beyond realistic expectations.
However, Hull has produced a run of shaky form, only winning one of their last five matches in all competitions.
The Tigers gave up a two-goal lead in their last match against Blackburn Rovers and suffered a defeat subsequently during their game against Sheffield Wednesday, making it three defeats in four second-tier fixtures.
They were expected to win their third-round match of the FA Cup against Birmingham City, but it took an 87th-minute equalizer for Hull to secure a replay.
From Norwich’s perspective, they make the trip to Humberside as another team who have been performing poorly of late, putting Wagner in a position where he is fighting to remain in the dugout.
Given the speculation regarding his future, Wagner was seemingly fortunate to remain in charge against Southampton on New Year’s Day, the Canaries ending a two-game losing run in earning a share of the spoils.
In their last match against Bristol Rovers in the FA Cup, they drew 1-1, which has led to further calls that Wagner should be sacked, the perception now being that it might be last chance saloon.
Team News
Rosenior may take the opportunity to hand a full debut to Billy Sharp after he made his first Hull appearance from the substitutes’ bench in the FA Cup.
Tyler Morton and Ozan Tufan should also return to the fold after being partially rested last time out, but Jadon Philogene and Liam Delap are both sidelined due to injury.
Jean Michael Seri and Adama Traore are also absent due to representing their nations at the Africa Cup of Nations.
Although Wagner used a back five in their last Championship game against Southampton, the Norwich boss will likely revert to a four here.
Josh Sargent should come back into the attack with Hwang Ui-jo having been recalled by Nottingham Forest.
In an attacking move, the United States international may feature on the right, with Adam Idah playing down the centre, while Sam McCallum may return at left-back.
Possible Lineups
Hull City possible starting lineup: (4-2-3-1)
Ingram;
Coyle, McLoughlin, Jones, Greaves;
Morton, Slater;
Connolly, Tufan, Twine;
Sharp
Norwich City possible starting lineup: (4-2-3-1)
Gunn;
Stacey, Duffy, McLean, McCallum;
Nunez, Sara;
Sargent, Barnes, Rowe;
Idah
Prediction: Hull City 2-1 Norwich City
Norwich’s inconsistency is a concern for Wagner, yet still makes them a threat against a Hull side that has lost its way. Nevertheless, we feel that the Tigers will do enough to earn this contest, potentially with a late goal at the MKM Stadium.