Hull City and Reading meet in the Championship on Saturday afternoon with just two points separating the clubs in the standings.
At a time when the home side have moved four points clear of the relegation zone, Reading have dropped down to 13th position after three defeats in four games.
Match preview
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Now that Hull have finally settled on Liam Rosenior as their new head coach, the pressure is on the former Derby County interim boss to instigate a sustained return to form.
With four points coming from two games, the initial signs are extremely positive, the Tigers following a goalless draw at Millwall with a comeback victory over Cardiff City.
The 3-2 win in South Wales was all the more impressive due to Oscar Estupinan's suspension, and Rosenior will hope that he does not have to rely on goals from his leading marksman to move Hull away from the drop zone.
Despite having by far the worst defensive record in the division, Hull now sit four points clear of the bottom three ahead of what they will feel is an ideal fixture at this stage of the campaign.
However, it will not be lost on Rosenior that Hull have lost five of their last six fixtures at the MKM Stadium, something which needs to change in the long term.
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As for Reading, Paul Ince will now be relieved to have a break from action with Reading having dropped out of the race for promotion for the time being.
The Royals have collected just five points from their most recent nine fixtures, the sixth defeat during that run coming by a 2-0 scoreline at Watford earlier this week.
Although Reading have not lost by a margin of more than two goals, they have lost their cutting edge, and supporters will be concerned about the prospect of another relegation battle.
While Reading remain just five points adrift of the playoffs, just six points separate them to 22nd-placed West Bromwich Albion, and they desperately require at least a share of the spoils on Saturday.
At a time when Hull possess one of the worst home records in the division, Reading have the third-worst return on their travels, accumulating just seven points from 10 away games.
Team News
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With Estupinan still serving a suspension, Ryan Longman should again lead the Hull attack.
While Ozan Tufan may replace Ryan Woods in the centre of midfield, Rosenior will not want to make any unenforced changes to his starting lineup.
Meanwhile, Reading goalkeeper Joe Lumley will miss out after suffering an ankle injury during the defeat to Watford, joining Tom McIntyre on the sidelines.
Dean Bouzanis will come into the side for his third Championship outing of the campaign, while Mamadou Loum appears likely to return in midfield.
Yakou Meite and Andy Carroll are also pushing for opportunities in the final third after Reading drew a blank at Vicarage Road.
Hull City possible starting lineup:
Baxter; Christie, Figueiredo, Jones, Greaves; Woods, Seri; Docherty, Pelkas, Slater; Longman
Reading possible starting lineup:
Bouzanis; Yiadom, Mbengue, Holmes, Rahman; Hendrick, Loum, Fornah; Ince, Carroll, Meite
We say: Hull City 2-1 Reading
Despite the recent optimism, this is now an important match for Reading if they want to avoid becoming embroiled in a relegation battle. While they have the quality in the final third to turn things around, we are backing Hull to record a second successive win in the space of a few days.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Top tip
Darren Plant
