Preview: Hull City vs Bristol City - prediction, team news, lineups

Hull City will welcome Bristol City to MKM Stadium on Saturday for a key battle at the top end of the Championship table. 

The Tigers extended their unbeaten league run to five matches with a goalless draw away at Watford in midweek, while the Robins were left reeling after suffering a heavy 5-0 home defeat to Derby County.

Match preview

Hull City's impressive form in recent weeks has seen them climb the table and mount a serious promotion charge, with Sergej Jakirovic's side entering the weekend in third place. 

Unbeaten in their last five league outings, the Tigers have recorded 16 wins, six draws and eight defeats from their 30 Championship matches, and will see Saturday as an opportunity to close the gap on the top two.

Despite their strong run, Hull may feel they missed a chance to gain ground in midweek, having been held to a 0-0 draw by managerless Watford.

Nevertheless, their promotion challenge has been built on consistency, particularly away from home, where their 27 points from 15 matches represents the second-best record in the second tier.

Hull City will be eager to continue their good run of form as the business end of the season draws closer, with the Tigers hoping to end the campaign with a promotion that would see them re-enter the Premier League for the first time in nearly a decade. 

© Imago / IMAGO / Every Second Media

As for Bristol City, their inconsistent form since the turn of the year has seen them drop out of the playoff positions and slip to 10th in the Championship table. 

Winning just twice in the last six, disappointing defeats to Preston North End and Ipswich Town have halted any momentum they once had, but their worst defeat of the season came last Friday. 

Taking on a similarly matched side in Derby County, Gerhard Struber's team were left stunned when they were thrashed 5-0 and handed their heaviest home defeat since 2010.

Despite that setback, the Robins remain firmly in the playoff conversation.

Their 43 points from 30 matches leaves them within touching distance of the top six, though an improvement in form will be required if they are to secure a playoff place for a second successive season.

The sides meet for the second time this campaign, with Bristol City claiming a 4-2 victory in the reverse fixture earlier in the season.

Hull City Championship form:

Hull City form (all competitions):

Bristol City Championship form:

Bristol City form (all competitions):

Team News

© Imago / Focus Images

Jakirovic's Hull City appear to have come away from their latest clash with no additional injury concerns, however they still remain with a number of long-term absentees. 

Semi Ajayi, Enis Destan, Darko Gyabi, Eliot Matazo, Cody Drameh are all expected to miss out through injury, while Brandon Williams is no longer at the club following the termination of his contract by mutual consent.

Ryan Giles returned to the bench on Tuesday after a hamstring injury had kept him out, the left-back could push for a start here. 

Winger Yu Hirakawa is on loan from Bristol City and will be unable to play against his parent club, expect Kyle Joseph to come in for him. 

As for Bristol City, they also look like they have come away from their latest clash with no further injury woes, although Struber may be tempted to change things up after the heavy defeat. 

While Rob Atkinson, Luke McNally, Max Bird and Adam Murphy continue to miss out, there may be a first start for Delano Burgzorg after signing on loan last week. 

A closure on the M5 ahead of their Friday night game gridlocked Bristol's traffic and meant Sinclair Armstrong and Neto Borges arrived late to the game and ultimately missed kick-off, they could come back into the starting XI for this one. 

Hull City possible starting lineup:

Pandur; Coyle, Egan, Hughes, Giles; Slater, Hadziahmetovic; Gelhart, Dowell, Joseph; McBurnie

Bristol City possible starting lineup:

Vitek; Tanner, Dickie, Pring; McCrorie, Randell, Knight, N. Borges; Bell, Riis, Twine

We say: Hull City 2-1 Bristol City

A big game that will have an impact on the top end of the table, this is a hard one to call. Hull’s strong form gives them the edge, and we expect the hosts to continue their good run of form with a narrow victory on Saturday afternoon. 

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