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

Hull City and Doncaster Rovers will both play their second competitive games of the season on Tuesday, when they meet at the MKM Stadium in the EFL Cup first round.

Grant McCann returned to the Doncaster dugout as manager over the summer and will meet a Hull team who he led between 2019 and 2022.

Match preview

Hull City head into their second competitive match of the 2023-24 season - their first full term under the management of Liam Rosenior - hoping to bounce back from a Championship opening-day setback at the weekend.

Rosenior took charge of the Tigers in November and eventually guided them to a 15th-placed finish, with the Yorkshire outfit seeking to build and improve in that this time around.

Following a busy and positive pre-season which saw them record victories over Galatasaray and Barnsley while playing out draws with Hatayspor, Bradford City, Scunthorpe United and Nantes, their Championship campaign began with a tough trip to Norwich City on Saturday, and the Tigers enjoyed a strong start as Liam Delap capitalised on a defensive error to put them ahead in the 17th minute at Carrow Road.

Jon Rowe would draw their hosts level on the stroke of half time, and Rosenior's men looked set to earn a point, only to be denied a share of the spoils deep into injury time as Adam Idah netted a winner from close range, with the Hull manager sent off for his protests in the aftermath.

Now without their boss on the touchline on Tuesday, Hull City will be keen to record a first win of the campaign to build confidence in the camp and advance in the EFL Cup, before welcoming Sheffield Wednesday to the MKM Stadium for a Championship contest on Saturday.

Their visitors would also fail to make a positive start in their own curtain-raiser in League Two on Saturday, under the new and familiar management of Grant McCann.

In their first season back in League Two following relegation, Doncaster Rovers endured another dismal term, eventually finishing 18th with just 55 points from their 46 games, and as it came to a close Danny Schofield would see his eight-month tenure as manager come to an end.

Over the summer, the Rovers hierarchy would then turn back to Grant McCann, who last led them in 2019, with plenty of renewed optimism around the club following his return, the side's summer transfer business and an encouraging pre-season which ended with victories over Sheffield Wednesday and Port Vale.

Their campaign then began at home to Harrogate Town on Saturday, but their bid to start a promotion push with a home victory did not go to plan as Jack Muldoon scored the only goal of the game from the penalty spot in the 66th minute.

Following that disappointment, Rovers will be keen to bounce back on Tuesday and pull off an upset away at a Hull side two divisions higher in the EFL Cup before returning to league action on Saturday with a trip to Newport County.

Hull City form (all competitions):

Team News

Hull should take the opportunity to rotate their squad on Tuesday and afford opportunities to those who did not start in the curtain-raiser at the weekend, with the likes of Sean McLoughlin and Cyrus Christie expected to come into the defence and Xavier Simons likely to take a place in midfield.

After Liam Delap and Ozan Tufan were preferred up front last time out, Oscar Estupinan, who netted 13 league goals in his debut campaign for the Tigers last term, will likely come in to lead the line alongside Aaron Connolly, who arrived permanently over the summer after spending the second half of last season on loan at Hull from Brighton & Hove Albion.

Thimothee Lo-Tutala could be afforded a chance to start between the sticks, while Ryan Longman and Jason Lokilo will hope to come in on the wings, albeit with Adama Traore and 19-year-old Harry Vaughan fighting to keep their places.

Doncaster Rovers fielded a new-look XI on Saturday with seven of the starters being summer arrivals, including goalkeeper Ian Lawlor and defenders Jamie Sterry, Jack Senior and Richard Wood, who may be afforded a rest after the 38-year-old's recent switch from Rotherham United.

Fellow new arrivals George Broadbent and Owen Bailey should again start in midfield, likely alongside Harrison Biggins who made a cameo off the bench last time out, while Joe Ironside will continue to lead the line following his recent arrival from Cambridge United.

Deji Sotona and Wolverhampton Wanderers loanee Tyler Roberts also featured off the bench in that game, and they will likely be given the chance to feature from the start, either side of Ironside in a front three.

Lo-Tutala; Christie, McLoughlin, Jones, Fleming; Longman, Slater, Simons, Vaughan; Estupinan, Connolly

Lawlor; Sterry, Olowu, Anderson, Senior; Biggins, Broadbent, Bailey; Sotona, Ironside, Roberts

We say: Hull City 3-1 Doncaster Rovers

With the hosts likely to rotate more than their visitors, Tuesday's game should certainly be intriguing, but the Tigers should still have sufficient depth to get over the line and reach the next round, particularly with squad players keen to impress and show their quality.