Premier League leaders Manchester City welcome Hull City in the quarter-finals of the League Cup on Tuesday night, as the Sky Blues aim to continue their push for trophies on all fronts this campaign.
As for the travelling side, the Tigers have already beaten two Premier League outfits in the competition and will be eager to bounce back from losing against Derby County last time out in the Championship.
Manchester City
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City go into the clash still well within the hunt for a quadruple challenge, having recently moved back to the top of the Premier League table with victory over Southampton at the weekend.
Manuel Pellegrini's charges have also secured progression into the knockout rounds of the Champions League, despite going down to a 1-0 defeat away at Italian giants Juventus last week.
The club's coach will be hoping that their win over the Saints on Saturday will put an end to some inconsistent form, which has seen the Sky Blues earn just one victory from their last four games across all competitions.
The League Cup has so far proven to be relatively easy going for City, who have registered nine goals in two games in the competition, while also conceding just two in 180 minutes of football.
What will please Pellegrini is that he has managed to give some experience to young striker Kelechi Iheanacho in the cup, and he seems to have taken to the task well, having contributed to victories over Sunderland and Crystal Palace.
City have also welcomed back key creative men in the shape of David Silva and Sergio Aguero in recent weeks, and Pellegrini might well see this fixture as a way of giving them some more minutes on their road to recovery.
Recent form (all competitions): WWDLLW
Hull City
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Steve Bruce and his charges have seemingly responded positively to their relegation and they currently find themselves within the mix for promotion come the end of the season.
The Tigers will be aiming to bounce back from a frustrating defeat when facing City, though, as they were displaced from the top of the Championship table after losing to Derby County on Friday.
The defeat proved to be Hull's first since September, and Bruce will be keen to ensure that his men do not drop their heads having slipped to fourth place in the standings.
The League Cup has already shown itself to be a positive distraction for the Tigers, who produced standout displays to knock out Leicester City and Swansea City in recent rounds.
The crux of Hull's success over the past few months has been at the back, where up until conceding in a 1-1 draw against Bristol City two games ago, Bruce's men had won five matches in a row without conceding a single goal.
Producing a cup run might not be the best way to expend energy during a more important race to regain a spot in the Premier League, but Hull might just get the necessary boost of confidence required during the winter should they be able to get beyond the quarters this week.
Recent form (all competitions): WWWWDL
Team News
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Given the injury to City keeper Joe Hart, it is likely that Willy Caballero will start between the sticks for the hosts.
Pellegrini could opt to give some minutes to Aguero and Silva, although he does have other options in Wilfried Bony, Iheanacho and Kevin De Bruyne.
It is unlikely that Vincent Kompany and Pablo Zabaleta will feature as they are carrying slight knocks, while Eliaquim Mangala and Samir Nasri are definitely sidelined.
As for Hull, Bruce could welcome back Robert Snodgrass, as well as Andrew Robertson who will be returning from suspension.
The Tigers are likely to be without defender Michael Dawson, however, as he is suffering from hamstring trouble.
Manchester City possible starting lineup:
Caballero; Sagna, Demichelis, Otamendi, Kolarov; Fernandinho, Delph, Toure; Iheanacho Bony, Sterling
Hull City possible starting lineup:
McGregor; Odubajo, Davies, Robertson Maguire; Elmohamady, Livermore, Huddlestone, Snodgrass; Diame, Hernandez
Head To Head
The last six meetings between the two clubs have all come in the Premier League, where City are unbeaten against Hull in four games. Looking from November 2009 onwards, City have won three, drawn two and lost one against the Tigers.
We say: Manchester City 3-1 Hull City
City appear to just be finding their feet again after a few difficult contests in the league and Champions League, and they will be keen to kick on in another competition having moved back into first place in the top flight of English football. Pellegrini's men have been in solid form in the competition already this season and have amassed a healthy goal tally after two fixtures against strong opposition. As for Hull, the defeat against County may just have taken some wind out of their sails, and producing a win away at the Etihad could be a touch beyond them come Tuesday night.
Christopher Dodd
