Both looking to forget about poor displays on New Year's Day in the Championship, Hull City and Birmingham City will battle for a place in the fourth round of the FA Cup at the MKM Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
The Tigers' poor away form continued with a loss at relegation-threatened Sheffield Wednesday, while Blues' convincing defeat at Leeds United was the last straw for Wayne Rooney in the managerial hotseat.
Match preview
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Hull City were unable to start 2024 with a positive result on New Year's Day in front of 3,500 away supporters at Hillsborough, with a highly controversial red card for midfielder Tyler Morton meaning that the visitors had to trudge through over 60 minutes of football with a numerical disadvantage.
Despite having 10 men, Liam Rosenior told his players to maintain their front-footed approach - which in the end backfired - with second-half goals from Marvin Johnson, Djeidi Gassama and Josh Windass condemning the Tigers to back-to-back away losses in the Championship.
The Humberside club's third defeat in four games - coupled with Sunderland's routine victory over Preston North End on Monday afternoon - has resulted in Rosenior's men dropping out of the playoff positions ahead of FA Cup weekend, with Michael Beale's Black Cats a point ahead in sixth place.
City are set for a busy January transfer window as they aim to give their promotion hopes a much-needed boost, and with Jaden Philogene currently taking up a place in the medical room, the recruitment of a high-class winger is a priority, and the Tigers are lining up a move for Burnley's Manuel Benson.
The Tigers' last match at the MKM Stadium saw the hosts come out on top of a five-goal thriller against Jon Dahl Tomasson's Blackburn Rovers, with Liam Delap, Aaron Connolly and Alfie Jones getting onto the scoresheet to secure their side's 11th win of the second-tier campaign.
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After 83 days of horror under the stewardship of Manchester United and England legend Rooney, Birmingham are preparing for an FA Cup clash in Hull with Under-21s coach Steve Spooner in charge of the first team - a squad which devoid of confidence following a tough couple of seasons.
Blues won just two of their 15 Championship games since Rooney controversially replaced John Eustace in the middle of October, collecting only 10 points from the 45 available with the 39-year-old in charge - a tally which puts them bottom of the 15-match form table.
Steve Cooper, Tony Mowbray and Gary Rowett are among the frontrunners for a difficult-looking job in the Second City, but it is expected that stalwart Spooner will lead the team to the MKM Stadium, where Birmingham enjoyed a successful day back in October 2022 under Eustace.
Striker Troy Deeney bagged a 14th-minute penalty before a Juninho Bacuna thunderbolt made sure of the points in the second period, condemning Hull - who were then being managed by interim boss Andy Dawson - to a defeat which strengthen their case as relegation candidates in the opening months of last campaign.
Blues' Welsh sensation Jordan James was arguably the only player to benefit from the questionable leadership of Rooney, with the 19-year-old becoming a key part of his side's engine room, so much so that Serie A giants Atalanta BC have reportedly bid twice for the midfielder's services.
Team News
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Hull will be unable to unleash winger Philogene on Birmingham once again on Saturday afternoon due to a knee injury, meaning the likes of Delap and Jason Eyenga-Lokilo could start on the flanks.
Having successfully appealed Morton's red card at Hillsborough on New Year's Day, the Blackburn Rovers loanee is available to partner Regan Slater in the engine room.
Right-back Cyrus Christie is set for a period on the sidelines after sustaining a hamstring injury during training, with the Tigers waiting for the results of a scan to determine the extent of the issue.
Birmingham will welcome Poland international Krystian Bielik back into the matchday squad after he served a three-game ban for a straight red card in the 3-3 draw at Plymouth Argyle.
Spooner has confirmed that there were no fresh issues from the 3-0 loss at Leeds United on Monday, but the likes of Marc Roberts and Ethan Laird are still in the medical room.
The interim coach is expected to name a relatively-strong XI as he tries to rediscover Blues' winning mentality, meaning Siriki Dembele and Jay Stansfield should start in attacking areas.
Hull City possible starting lineup:
Ingram; Coyle, Jones, McLoughlin, Greaves; Morton, Slater, Delap, Tufan, Eyenga-Lokilo; Connolly
Birmingham City possible starting lineup:
Ruddy; Aiwu, Sanderson, Long, Buchanan; Bielik, James, Sunjic; Dembele, Anderson, Stansfield
We say: Hull City 1-0 Birmingham City
Hull will be favourites to progress here considering Birmingham's lack of confidence, but the Tigers could have been handed an easier draw in the third round.
Blues are likely to adopt a defence-minded approach as they look to steady the ship ahead of the new manager's arrival, although we believe that Saturday afternoon will end in defeat for Spooner's side.
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Top tip
Carter White
