Good afternoon! Thank you very much for joining Sports Mole for today's huge relegation battle between Leicester City and Hull City at the King Power Stadium. Both clubs have enjoyed an upturn in form since controversially sacking their respective former managers, but they remain very much embroiled in a race to avoid the drop this season. It is shaping up to be a fascinating battle at the bottom, and this game could have a major impact on how it ends up. Before we get into all that, though, let's take a look at the team news...

LEICESTER STARTING XI: Schmeichel; Simpson, Morgan, Huth, Fuchs; Ndidi, Drinkwater, Albrighton, Mahrez; Okazaki, Vardy

LEICESTER SUBS: Zieler, Chilwell, Amartey, King, Gray, Slimani, Ulloa

HULL STARTING XI: Jakupovic; Clucas, Ranocchia, Maguire, Robertson; N'Diaye, Huddlestone, Elmohamady, Markovic, Grosicki; Niasse

HULL SUBS: Marshall, Meyler, Hernandez, Elabdellaoui, Maloney, Diomande, Tymon

What can we make of those two teams, then? Well, there are no surprises as far as Leicester are concerned - caretaker boss Craig Shakespeare makes no changes to the side that beat Liverpool on Monday night. That result was very much a product of going back to the basics which carried them all the way to the Premier League title last season, and the XI named today is the first-choice XI from much of the title-winning campaign, with the exception of Ndidi in for Kante.

That means that Jamie Vardy, who scored twice against Liverpool, leads the line once again, although it will undoubtedly be a different test for him today as Hull will not leave as much space behind for him to run into as Liverpool did. Even so, a goal for the England international this afternoon would see him score in three consecutive Leicester games for the first time since May having netted against both Sevilla and Liverpool last week.

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Shinji Okazaki keeps his place alongside Vardy up front despite the presence of club-record signing Islam Slimani on the bench, with the Japanese forward bringing bags of energy and enthusiasm to the Leicester side. Drinkwater also scored against Liverpool - a brilliant volley - and he keeps his place alongside Ndidi in the heart of midfield, while Albrighton and Mahrez operate on the flanks. Mahrez has scored in three of his four games against Hull in all competitions, making them his second-favourite opponent behind only Swansea.

The defensive unit is as familiar as ever, with Simpson, Morgan, Huth and Fuchs making up the back four. Once again, it will be a different test for them this afternoon than it was against Liverpool, and the full-backs may end up spending plenty of time in the opposition half if Hull choose to play on the back foot. Kasper Schmeichel continues in goal, meanwhile, having overcome a slight ankle problem.

As for Hull, Marco Silva is forced into a change up front, with Dieumerci Mbokani facing a prolonged spell on the sidelines with a hamstring injury. The striker is replaced in the starting XI by Oumar Niasse, who seems to be finding his feet at Hull following a nightmare stint at Everton during his first year in English football. Niasse's power could be counteracted by Morgan and Huth, but that should be a good battle up front whoever comes out on top.

Hull are suffering a major injury crisis at the moment, with the likes of Evandro, Davies, Dawson, Mason and Henriksen all sidelined, leaving the Tigers particularly short at the back. Ahmed Elmohamady is expected to drop into right-back for this match as Elabdellaoui is relegated to the bench, but Silva has at least been boosted by the news that Maguire has overcome a knee injury to keep his place in the side.

In all, there are three changes made to the Hull starting XI this afternoon, with Sam Clucas returning from suspension to replace Elabdellaoui and Lazar Markovic also coming back having missed the match against Burnley through an unspecified injury. The Liverpool loanee will be looking to provide width for the Tigers today, while Kamil Grosicki is expected to operate on the opposite flank.

The teamsheet suggests that Hull will go with a 4-5-1 formation, with Huddlestone - who scored their goal in last weekend's draw with Burnley - playing a little deeper than the rest of his midfielders. N'Diaye and Clucas, as well as Huddlestone, will hope to dominate the middle of the park with their extra man, although Hull are missing a real goalscoring midfielder to get up and provide support for Niasse.

It is an injury-ravaged Hull squad against 10 of the 11 players that cruised to the Premier League title last season, then - on paper it looks like a foregone conclusion. However, Leicester's form this season, and particularly in 2017, means that anything could happen in this match. The 3-1 victory over Liverpool was a timely return to what we saw last term, but this will be a completely different test for them today and, given how Leicester play, it could be argued that it is a more difficult test too.

Leicester fans will be wary of that win over Liverpool being a false dawn having also thrashed Manchester City at home earlier this season without being able to build on it, but it does feel like the beginning of something new for the club. It will take some time for Claudio Ranieri to consigned to the past once and for all at the King Power Stadium - and rightly so - but if that change results in performances like the one Leicester put in on Monday occurring on a regular basis, then the ill-feeling towards the decision to sack their title-winning manager will subside much more quickly.

Of course, the question remains regarding who will succeed Ranieri, but Craig Shakespeare did his chances no harm with the win over Liverpool and, if reports are to be believed, he is the players' choice to take over as well. Shakespeare is one of only two managers who seem to be in the reckoning, but his rival - former England manager Roy Hodgson - has infinitely more experience and has steered clubs away from danger before too.

You'd have to think that another win for Shakespeare today would take him a big step closer to the job, though, and it would also see him become only the second Leicester manager to ever win his first two Premier League games in charge - the first being his predecessor Claudio Ranieri. Whoever gets the job, though, there is still plenty of work to do if they are to secure the champions' survival, with only two points separating them from the relegation zone.

Victory by four goals today would see Leicester climb up to 15th in the table after Bournemouth earned a dramatic draw at Old Trafford in the day's early kickoff, but even accounting for Monday's win over Liverpool, goals have been in very short supply for the Foxes. Vardy's opener on Monday was Leicester's first league goal of 2017, ending a dreadful six-match drought, and they went on to score the same amount of goals in that match as they had in their previous 10 Premier League games combined.

One thing that does seem to be crucial for Leicester is getting the first goal in a game. Their dramatic comebacks were a standout feature of their run to the title last season - particularly in the first half of the campaign - but they have amassed a league-low three points from losing positions this time around, failing to win a single game in which they have trailed. In contrast, they have won all six of the matches in which they have scored first this season, which is the only 100% record of its kind in the league.

All of Leicester's wins have also come at home this season, with the Foxes having amassed 21 of their 24 Premier League points here at the King Power Stadium. If only home form counted then Leicester would be sitting pretty in mid-table, but they managed picked up just three points from a possible 39 on the road so it is their home form which is just about keeping them out of trouble so far. Even that has dipped in recent weeks, though, with three defeats in their last five home outings - the same number as they lost in their previous 30.

Of course, Leicester's win here against Liverpool on Monday puts a slightly different slant on their recent home form, and Hull certainly won't be full of confidence travelling here - or indeed anywhere in the Premier League given their poor away record. Only Leicester themselves and Burnley have picked up fewer points on the road than the Tigers this season, while only Bournemouth and Swansea have conceded more away goals.

Neither of those stats quite do justice to just how poor Hull's recent away form has been, though. They are winless in their last 12 Premier League games on the road, picking up a measly two points from a possible 36 since beating Swansea in August - their first away game of the season. Even worse than that, the Tigers have scored only one goal in their last nine league away games and a league-low six on the road all season.

Marco Silva has not been able to solve that problem so far, then, but there is no doubt that his arrival has brought an improvement in general form. The Tigers have won four, drawn two and lost four in 10 matches under the Portuguese boss so far - a record made more impressive when you consider that he has faced Manchester United three times in addition to Chelsea, Arsenal and Liverpool in that time.

That match against Liverpool actually provided Hull with their only win in their last five outings, although that run of games does also include an impressive draw at Manchester United. Looking solely at the Premier League, Hull have picked up eight points from six games under Silva, winning two, drawing two and losing two. It is the same amount of wins as Mike Phelan managed in his last 19 games in charge of the club and one more point than he managed in his final 18 matches at the helm.

Last weekend's 1-1 draw with Burnley would have been a disappointing result for Hull, though, considering the Clarets' poor away record this season. Sean Dyche's side had only picked up one point on the road all season before travelling to the KCOM Stadium, but having fallen behind to a Tom Huddlestone penalty they quickly responded through Michael Keane - the player who had given the spot kick away. It would have been a game that Hull would have earmarked as a good bet for three points, which would have lifted them out of the bottom three.

As it is, Hull remain just one point from safety and two points off the bottom of the table, although that area could completely change over the next couple of hours. Middlesbrough, Crystal Palace and Swansea - in addition to Leicester - are all in action, and any slip-up from those teams directly above Hull in the table will open the door for the Tigers to climb out of the bottom three. For that to happen, though, Hull must do their part by winning here.

A draw is not likely to be enough to lift Hull out of danger due to their league-worst goal difference, with only Middlesbrough have scored fewer and Swansea conceded more in the Premier League. However, they have already beaten Leicester once this season and could fancy their chances of doing so again. Should they manage that, they would become the first promoted side to do the double over the reigning top-flight champions since Norwich beat Liverpool home and away in 1982-83.

PREDICTION: Right, we're 10 minutes away from kickoff at the King Power Stadium, which means that it is time for a prediction! I fully expect Leicester to find things more difficult against Hull than they did against Liverpool on Monday, simply down to the fact that Marco Silva will feel that a draw is a decent enough result here. However, it is impossible to ignore Hull's away form so I am backing Leicester to win this one 1-0.

The Foxes are unbeaten in their last four home games against Hull, winning two and drawing two since a 2-0 defeat in the Championship nine years ago - a result which helped Leicester towards relegation to League One. These two sides have only ever met three times before in the Premier League, though, and the record is evenly spread at one win apiece and a draw.

In all competitions Hull have won the last two meetings between the sides - including a penalty shootout victory in the League Cup in October 2015 - and another win today would see them beat Leicester three times on the bounce for the first time since 1922. Their last visit here ended in a goalless draw just under two years ago, though, and I'm sure they would take a repeat of that result today.

These two sides faced each other in the very first game of the season, and there was a shock right from the start as Hull - with only 13 fit senior players and having lost Steve Bruce just three weeks before the start of the season - picked up a 2-1 win over Leicester in what was the first match of their title defence. Diomande gave Hull the lead just before half time, but Mahrez scored from the spot to cancel that out shortly after the restart. Snodgrass proved to be the winner, though, netting shortly before the hour mark to get Hull's season off to a perfect start, on the field at least.

Hull actually started the season with back-to-back wins against Leicester and Swansea, but they remain their last two victories against fellow bottom-six sides this season. No team has picked up fewer points in that mini-league, although Leicester have the worst points-per-game ratio against their fellow strugglers and have only won three of their 13 Premier League games against teams in the bottom half of the table this term.

Right, the players are out and we're just about ready to go here. A huge match at the bottom!

KICKOFF: Hull City get us underway at the King Power Stadium!

Scrappy start to the match, with Hull the only team to make decent progress into the opposition third so far. Leicester looked a bit shaky at the back on their first test, but managed to clear the danger eventually.

Leicester have an early chance to test Jakupovic here with a free kick, although it is perhaps just outside of shooting range...

Mahrez floats the ball into the middle and Morgan finds himself unmarked, but he just can't stretch his neck enough to steer the header on target. The linesman's flag is up anyway.

Vardy makes a nuisance of himself down the left flank to win the ball in a good crossing position before delivering a brilliant low ball right across the six-yard box. Maguire dare not touch it, and it needs Robertson at the back post to put it just wide of his own goal.

CHANCE! Again Vardy collects the ball down the left channel and again he puts an enticing low ball right across the face of goal. This time Albrighton is coming in and looks certain to score, but a mixture of Maguire and Robertson do just about enough to block the shot behind for a corner.

This has been a good start from Leicester, who are already looking very dangerous down the channels in particular. The Hull defence have not exactly looked sturdy so far.

Hull have their first real chance to test the Leicester defence with a free kick, which Grosicki whips into a dangerous area. Huth deals with the danger, but from the resulting corner Maguire gets free and is just short of connecting with the ball when challenging Schmeichel.

UPDATE: There are four other Premier League matches kicking off at 3pm today, and there has been an earlier goal at Vicarage Road, where Watford have taken the lead against Southampton through Troy Deeney. Of bigger concern for these two, however, will be Swansea taking the lead against Burnley through Llorente.

Huge goal for Hull! They take the lead against the champions following a rapid counter-attack that stemmed from a poor pass from Ndidi. It is Clucas who picks up the loose ball before driving forward and knocking it out to Niasse. Grosicki is up in support and Niasse finds him inside the area before the winger pulls a ball back into the middle. Schmeichel gets a hand to it, but that only diverts the ball into the path of Clucas, who reacts quickly to stick a leg out and poke it over the line.

I mentioned in the build-up how important the first goal is in matches involving Leicester, but can they respond this time? It did come against the run of play, but now Hull have something to defend.

Grosicki, whose desire to get up in support was crucial for the opening goal, once again gets on his horse down the left flank here but this time his venture forward comes to nothing. He looks sharp, though.

UPDATE: Better news for both Leicester and Hull as Burnley have levelled things up against Swansea courtesy of an Andre Gray penalty.

There was a bit of concern over Elmohamady a moment ago, but the Hull wide man seems to have run the problem off and looks like he will be able to continue now.

It looked as though Leicester might pick up where they left off against Liverpool in the opening stages of this match, but that goal seems to have settled Hull down and they are more than holding their own at the moment following a slow start.

Leicester level things up, and it is Christian Fuchs who gets his name on the scoresheet! It is brilliant work between the left-back and Vardy down that left flank, with the pair exchanging three passes between themselves to release Vardy behind the defence. The striker is patient and keeps hold of the ball until Fuchs has joined him in the box, and then he rolls it back to the defender. Fuchs's finish is not the greatest, but Jakupovic cannot keep it out and Leicester are level.

Jakupovic really should have done better with that one. It was a glorious chance for Fuchs and you expected him to take it when the ball fell to him, but Jakupovic got to his shot in good time and should have kept it out. Could that mistake prove to be costly?

UPDATE: There have been more goals elsewhere too, with Stoke leading Middlesbrough courtesy of a Marko Arnautovic strike and Southampton equalising against Watford through Dusan Tadic.

Vardy has been really threatening down the two channels today. This time he pops up in space on the right following some miscommunication between the Hull centre-backs, and he has Albrighton to aim for in the middle. Vardy volleys the ball across goal, but it is too far in front of the winger.

Now Vardy is on the over on the left and tries to cut inside Ranocchia, but the Hull defender steps across his path to win the ball. There is a faint appeal for a penalty from Vardy, but the referee is having none of it.

Shooting chance for Albrighton as the ball drops to him around 25 yards from goal and he tries a half-volley, but it was an ambitious effort and it flies well off target.

Leicester are seeing the vast majority of the ball at the moment and have regained a good degree of control over the game since their equalising goal. This could well be their first win from a losing position all season if things carry on like this.

The hosts are really beginning to knock on the door now! They win a couple of corners in quick succession which Hull do well to deal with, but the pressure is certainly building on the Tigers. They will be desperate to hold on until half time.

UPDATE: Good news from the bet365 Stadium as far as these two teams are concerned - relegation rivals Middlesbrough are now two goals down against Stoke City, with Arnautovic getting both.

Leicester come forward again here and Albrighton whips the ball in towards an unmarked Mahrez, but it is just too high and the Algerian looked to be in an offside position anyway.

There will be a minimum of one minute added time at the end of this first half.

The referee brings an end to the first half at the King Power Stadium, then, and we are all square at the interval between these two relegation rivals. Leicester have been the better team for the most part, but Hull have carried a threat on the counter-attack and this match is still very much up for grabs.

The opening goal arrived after less than 15 minutes, but it came against the run of play as Hull hit Leicester on the counter-attack. Ndidi gave the ball away carelessly and Clucas drove forward into the Leicester half before finding Niasse. Grosicki provided the support on the underlap before pulling the ball into the middle, where Schmeichel could only push it into the path of Clucas, who reacted well to put it over the line.

Leicester levelled the scores shortly before the half-hour mark, though, and it was very much a two-man effort as Fuchs and Vardy combined down the left flank. A couple of one-twos between the pair released Vardy down the wing, and his first touch allowed him to drive into the box before pulling the ball back for Fuchs again. The full-back's finish was not the best, but there was just enough on it to squeeze the ball past the keeper.

Chances have been few and far between aside from the two goals, but it is Leicester who have looked the most likely to score for the majority of the half. They made a good start, with Vardy in particular threatening down the flanks and sending two brilliant low cross into the box in the opening exchanges. The first was nervously put behind by Robertson, while the second needed Maguire and Robertson to make a last-ditch challenge to deny Albrighton a tap-in.

KICKOFF: Leicester City get us back underway at the King Power Stadium!

OFF THE POST! Almost a perfect start to the half for Hull! Grosicki whips a corner into the middle which Maguire manages to get his studs to despite being under heavy pressure. No-one seems to move as it bounces towards goal, only to clip the outside of the post on its way behind.

YELLOW CARD! The first card of the afternoon is shown to Drinkwater for a tug on Markovic.

CHANCE! Another chance for Hull and Maguire! Once again Grosicki provides the deliver, this time from a free kick, and Maguire shrugs off his marker to get his head to the ball. However, the angle is against the Hull defender and Schmeichel makes a comfortable save at his near post.

This has been a good start to the second half from Hull, but all too often it can peter out when the opposition begins to settle back into the game themselves. A 1-1 draw would be a decent result for Hull here, but victory would do them a huge amount of good. Is it worth the risk to push for that second goal?

Niasse makes a nuisance of himself and refuses to give Leicester an easy way out, chasing the ball down inside the box. In the end the ball is cleared against him and bounces behind for a goal kick, though.

CHANCE! Half a chance for Hull as Clucas beats Ndidi far too easily on the right, cutting into the area and into a shooting position. However, he completely scuffs his effort and Morgan gets a foot to the ball before Schmeichel prevents it from going behind for a corner.

Vardy has put a number of these teasing ball across the area today, and once again he causes panic in the Hull box here. His delivery is just too far in front of Okazaki, though, and Robertson comes up with an inventive clearance at the back post to prevent it falling to Mahrez.

SAVE! Mahrez tries his luck with an effort from range which Jakupovic needs two attempts to grab hold of, but the keeper always looked to have the situation under control.

SAVE! Yet again Jakupovic denies Mahrez, although this time it was a more testing stop. Mahrez dips inside and out before finally beating his man down the outside and driving a low strike towards goal from a tight angle which is put behind for a corner.

Third time lucky for Mahrez, who twists and turns to elude the defenders before squeezing the ball past the keeper. Hull fail to clear the danger and Mahrez picks the ball up just outside the area. He turns a couple of defenders inside out with his trademark jinks and turns before getting a shot away with his right foot. Once again, Jakupovic is there and gets a hand to it, but he can't keep it out.

Hull have a chance for an instant response as they win a free kick right on the left edge of the penalty area.

Grosicki whips it into the middle with plenty of pace and power, but Schmeichel makes a flying punch to clear the danger. Good goalkeeping.

"We've got our Leicester back" chant the home fans having taken the lead in this one. That change of management is looking a lot more reasonable now than it did just 10 days ago.

HULL SUB: The visitors make a change here as Abel Hernandez replaces N'Diaye for the final 20 minutes or so.

LEICESTER SUB: Leicester respond with a chance of their own as Demarai Gray comes on in place of Okazaki.

Hull have less than 20 minutes to respond here, and results elsewhere will only heighten the need for a goal. Crystal Palace lead West Brom as things stand, while Swansea are drawing 2-2 with Burnley.

As things stand, Leicester will be going five points clear of the relegation zone, which just goes to show what a couple of wins can do for a team. Their survival hopes look a lot brighter now than they were just a week ago.

Drinkwater attempts to recreate his volley heroics from the Liverpool game as the ball drops to him on the edge of the area, but this time he hammers it a long way off target.

HULL SUB: Another change for the hosts here as Adama Diomande comes on in place of Markovic.

Leicester are just 10 minutes away from recording back-to-back wins for the first time this season, and it has been another improved display from the Foxes today. Shakespeare is not doing his job prospects any harm here.

LEICESTER SUB: Mahrez is the match winner as things stand, but he won't see the game out as he is replaced by Islam Slimani.

Albrighton floats a corner over to Fuchs on the edge of the area and the full-back goes for a first-time volley, but he hammers it off target.

CHANCE! Big save from Schmeichel to keep his side ahead here! Niasse bundles his way into a shooting position and fires a half-volley towards the bottom corner, but the Leicester keeper gets the very tips of his fingers to it to turn it around the post.

SHOT! Leicester go in search of a killer third goal as Gray drops the ball back to Drinkwater, but he drags his shot a couple of yards wide from just outside the area.

CHANCE! Half-chance for the visitors as Grosicki stands the ball up to the back post, inviting Niasse to attack it. He does exactly that and tries to cushion a volley on target, but he can only put it into the side-netting.

YELLOW CARD! Huddlestone picks up a late booking here for a challenge on Vardy.

CHANCE! Another chance for Leicester to get a third as Gray attacks his man before ducking inside and firing a low strike towards the bottom corner which Jakupovic turns behind for a corner.

Game well and truly over now as Leicester add a third through an unfortunate own goal from Huddlestone. A corner was flicked on by Ndidi and hit the unsuspecting Hull midfielder's head, bouncing into his own net. The type of goal that always seems to go against you when you're down there!

There will be three minutes of added time at the end of this match.

Mike Dean brings an end to proceedings at the King Power Stadium, then, and it is a huge win for Leicester as they come from behind to beat Hull 3-1. It is the first time they have recovered from a losing position to win all season, and also the first time they have won back-to-back games this term as they climb five points clear of the relegation zone. Sam Clucas gave the Tigers the lead, only for Fuchs and Mahrez to turn the game around before a late Huddlestone own goal sealed the points for the champions. Two out of two for Craig Shakespeare!

Right, that is all we have time for this afternoon I'm afraid! Thank you very much for joining Sports Mole for today's match as Leicester move five points clear of danger with a 3-1 win over fellow strugglers Hull. I will leave you with our match report, and be sure to stick around for reaction from both camps. From me, though, it is goodbye for now!