On a high from their impressive opening-day victory, Hull City will be looking to claim another win when they host Queens Park Rangers in the Championship on Saturday afternoon.
The Tigers are unbeaten in each of their last eight league games on home soil, while the visitors have won each of their last three league matches on the road.
Match preview
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After clinching the League One title last season, Hull City began life back in the Championship with a comfortable 4-1 victory away at Preston North End last weekend.
The Tigers went behind in just the eighth minute, however Grant McCann's men worked hard to get back into the game, with Keane Lewis-Potter equalising 10 minutes before half time. Second-half strikes from Richie Smallwood, Josh Magennis and Andy Cannon then sealed all three points for the newly-promoted side.
Since their opening day win, Hull were knocked out in the first round of the League Cup, losing 8-7 on penalties to Wigan Athletic, following a 1-1 draw in 90 minutes. As much as McCann may have liked a cup run, their priority remains the league, as they bid to avoid relegation for the second time in three years.
Hull are now preparing for their first league game at the KCOM Stadium this term, where they were impressive in League One last season. Even though their attacking qualities, which were evident against Preston, were key to their title win, their defensive stability were also crucial to them finishing at the summit.
Only Watford conceded fewer home goals than Hull City's 14 across the entire Football League last season. Another solid defensive showing this time in the second tier could be vital to their survival hopes.
The Tigers now prepare for Saturday's game against QPR, a side they have lost just twice against in their last 13 league meetings.
Having also won their maiden home league game in four of the last five campaigns, Hull will be full of confidence when they play in front of their own supporters on Saturday.
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Unlike Hull, Queens Park Rangers had to settle for just a point on the opening weekend, after they played out a 1-1 draw at home to Millwall.
It was the visitors who took an early lead, with Jed Wallace finding the net in the 11th minute, but Robert Dickie – QPR's Player of the Season last year – then fired in an incredible goal from around 30 yards out to draw the hosts level just after the half-hour mark.
Mark Warburton's men were unable to find a decisive goal, eventually settling for a point, with the 58-year-old admitting that his team were given a reminder of how demanding the Championship can be.
Since last weekend, the Hoops progressed into the second round of the League Cup after beating London rivals Leyton Orient 5-3 on penalties, following a 1-1 draw in 90 minutes, with this result earning them a home tie against Oxford United later this month.
QPR had an impressive end to the previous campaign, with only two sides claiming more Championship points in 2021 than the 47 they accumulated.
They head into Saturday's game at Hull, however, after failing to win any of their last 13 away league matches against newly-promoted sides, their last being a narrow 1-0 win against Wigan in August 2016.
After claiming all three points in each of their final three away games last season, a victory for QPR this weekend would see them claim their fourth successive win on the road for the first time since May 2003.
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Team News
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Hull defender Callum Elder and midfielder George Honeyman are set to miss out once again due to injury, while Randell Williams and Thomas Mayer remain in self-isolation after testing positive for coronavirus.
Central midfielders Smallwood and Greg Docherty, who were both rested in midweek, are set to return to the starting lineup at the expense of Cannon and Matthew Smith.
In attack, Magennis is expected to keep his place up front ahead of Tom Eaves, with Lewis-Potter and Mallik Wilks to provide support from the flanks.
As for QPR, Warburton is set to stick with a three-man defence, with Jordy de Wijs expected to return to the starting lineup at the expense of new recruit Jimmy Dunne.
Moses Odubajo could also be brought back into the first XI at right wing-back, with experienced defender Lee Wallace set to feature on the opposite flank.
With midfielders Ilias Chair and Sam Field both ruled out with injuries, David Ball and Chris Willock are likely to remain in Warburton's side, with Charlie Austin and Lyndon Dykes to lead the line up front.
Hull City possible starting lineup:
Ingram; Coyle, Greaves, Jones, Emmanuel; Docherty, Smallwood; Lewis-Potter, Moncur, Wilks; Magennis
Queens Park Rangers possible starting lineup:
Dieng; Dickie, De Wijs, Barbet; Odubajo, Johansen, Ball, Wallace; Willock; Austin, Dykes
We say: Hull City 2-2 Queens Park Rangers
Goals are to be expected on Saturday, as this fixture has seen three or more goals scored in each of the last seven meetings.
QPR will be eager to claim their first victory of the new season, but with little separating these two teams, we could see an entertaining encounter with both sides taking a share of the spoils.
Top tip
Data Analysis
Our analysis of all available data, including recent performances and player stats up until an hour before kickoff, suggested the most likely outcome of this match was a Hull City win with a probability of 37.89%. A win for Queens Park Rangers had a probability of 33.25% and a draw had a probability of 28.9%.
The most likely scoreline for a Hull City win was 1-0 with a probability of 12.49%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 2-1 (7.75%) and 2-0 (7.25%). The likeliest Queens Park Rangers win was 0-1 (11.49%), while for a drawn scoreline it was 1-1 (13.34%). The actual scoreline of 0-3 was predicted with a 2.2% likelihood.
