Preview: Cardiff City vs. Hull City - prediction, team news, lineups

Cardiff City will entertain Hull City on Wednesday in an important clash at the bottom end of the Championship table.

Both sides picked up crucial victories on Saturday, leaving them 19th and 21st in the second tier respectively.

Match preview

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Following the exit of Mick McCarthy and the subsequent appointment of Steve Morison as manager, Cardiff City appear to be heading in the right direction.

The former boss departed after an eighth straight Championship defeat left the Welsh side in 21st spot, and Morison quickly arrested the slump as they came from 3-0 down to earn a valuable point from a 3-3 draw with Stoke City.

While they were then toppled by Queens Park Rangers, the Bluebirds now head into Wednesday on the back of consecutive wins, having firstly beaten Huddersfield Town 2-1 prior to the recent international break, with Kieffer Moore netting a 93rd-minute winner.

They returned from the break with another 2-1 win on Saturday, as Mark McGuinness and James Collins scored in a turnaround away at Preston North End after the hosts took an early lead.

Having now risen to 19th and regained a degree of confidence, the Bluebirds will hope to continue their climb with what would be a third straight win on Saturday.

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Hull also arrive looking to extend a promising run of form, having recently climbed out of the relegation zone.

Following their promotion from League One last term, the Tigers immediately struggled upon their return to the second tier, sitting 23rd with just nine points from their opening 16 outings.

They crucially managed to put an end to a five-game losing run before the break though, as George Honeyman and Keane Lewis-Potter fired them to a 2-0 away win in a Yorkshire derby with fellow strugglers Barnsley.

Grant McCann's men made it two wins on the bounce last time out, with Honeyman again on the scoresheet alongside Mallik Wilks as they handed Birmingham City a 2-0 defeat on home soil.

That saw them leapfrog Peterborough United and move out of the drop zone, and the Tigers will now be keen to continue their upturn in form and put valuable distance between themselves and the bottom three.

Team News

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Cardiff City will likely remain without in-form striker Kieffer Moore, who picked up a knock while on international duty for Wales.

He is joined on the sidelines by midfielder Joe Ralls, while Morison will likely avoid making wholesale changes after another win last time out, with the back three of Mark McGuinness, Aden Flint and Curtis Nelson expected to remain unchanged.

James Collins will hope to lead the line in Moore's absence, after he came off the bench to score the winner against Preston.

Hull remain without Alfie Jones, Lewie Coyle and Brandon Fleming, as the trio are in the treatment alongside midfield veteran Tom Huddlestone.

McCann will also be tempted to field an unchanged side after a crucial win at the weekend, with Mallik Wilks again leading the line and George Honeyman full of confidence after goals in two consecutive games.

The back three of Di'Shon Bernard, Sean McLoughlin and Jacob Greaves stood strong to keep a clean sheet in that game, and they should all take to the field once again with exciting prospect Keane Lewis-Potter getting forward from a deeper wing-back role.

Cardiff City possible starting lineup:

Smithies; McGuiness, Flint, Nelson; Ng, Vaulks, Pack, Giles; Harris, Collins, Colwill

Hull City possible starting lineup:

Ingram; Bernard, McLoughlin, Greaves; Lewis-Potter, Smallwood, Docherty, Longman; Honeyman; Wilks, Magennis

We say: Cardiff City 2-1 Hull City

Given both sides have quickly built confidence after slumps in form, this could go either way, and we see the hosts narrowly coming out on top.

The Bluebirds arguably boast more quality than their opponents and will feel they do not belong at this end of the table, and Morison will be keen to see his side to continue building momentum with another three-point haul.