Hull City will look to strengthen their position at the top of the League One table on Saturday when they welcome Gillingham to the KC Stadium.
After a six-game unbeaten run, the Tigers now sit three points clear at the top of the table and five points clear of the playoff places, while Gillingham will be hoping to improve their chances of breaking into the playoff spots, currently sitting just two points behind sixth-placed Blackpool.
Match preview
© Reuters
Grant McCann's side were forced to settle for a point last time out away at Shrewsbury, as Greg Docherty equalised for the Tigers soon after a Matt Ingram own goal put the hosts 1-0 up.
That broke a run of five consecutive wins for the Yorkshire outfit, which saw them move to the summit of England's third tier.
That run included a crucial 3-1 victory away at promotion rivals Peterborough United, as Reece Burke, Keane Lewis-Potter and Mallik Wilks all found the net after Reece Brown gave the Posh an early lead.
As a result, McCann's men now sit three points above Peterborough in second spot, although the Posh do have a game in hand, while third-placed Sunderland sit five points behind them with two games in hand.
That means their top spot still looks precarious with nine league games left to play, as they look to seal automatic promotion back to the Championship at the first time of asking after they finished bottom of the second tier last season.
They will come into Saturday's game desperate to get three points in their bid to fend off the sides in pursuit of the automatic promotion spots, with Sunderland piling the pressure on thanks to a resurgence in form.
However, Gillingham pose McCann's men a serious challenge this weekend, having won four of their last six games.
Steve Evans's side have put themselves right back in the hunt for the playoffs recently, thanks to a strong run of form which has seen them pick up 13 points from their last six league outings.
They picked up a seemingly impressive point last time out, as they drew 2-2 at home to fifth-placed Doncaster Rovers.
However, a closer look shows that the Gills led 2-0 after just four minutes, as Jordan Graham and Vadaine Oliver both scored before Evans's men let their lead slip against a Doncaster side who had picked up just one point from their three previous games.
Before that, Gillingham recorded an eye-catching victory over Lincoln City, who sat in third spot at the time, as Oliver and Graham again found the net alongside a Kyle Dempsey goal.
Evans will be hoping that his side can look past the disappointment of the Doncaster comeback, and continue their upwards trajectory as they look to break into the playoff places.
- W
- W
- W
- W
- W
- D
- W
- W
- L
- W
- W
- D
Team News
Hull City will remain without captain Richie Smallwood, who has been ruled out for the season with a knee injury.
They will also be missing left-back Max Clark, who continues his spell on the sidelines with a hamstring problem.
Brandon Fleming and Sean Mcloughlin are both expected to return to availability soon, but McCann is not likely to risk either player by bringing them straight into the starting team.
Twenty-year-old Keane Lewis-Potter has had somewhat of a breakout season for Hull, registering nine goals and four assists so far this campaign, and he will feature prominently in their attack again.
The focal point of that attacking line will be Mallik Wilks, who has fired the Tigers to the top of the table with 17 league goals.
Despite an unfortunate own goal last time out, Matt Ingram has excelled in the Hull goal this season, keeping 14 clean sheets so far this season.
Steve Evans could look to keep the same Gillingham side which has turned out in the last two games, picking up four points from difficult matches against sides in the top six.
Vadaine Oliver will lead the line with confidence, having netted four goals in his last three games to take his tally to 13 league goals for the season.
They have struggled for bodies in recent weeks, but the return of Matty Willock from injury allowed Evans to list a full substitutes bench against Doncaster Rovers.
Meanwhile, James Morton and Christian Maghoma are both expected to remain out of action with injuries.
Hull City possible starting lineup:
Ingram; Coyle, Burke, Greaves, Elder; Docherty, Jones; Whyte, Honeyman, Lewis-Potter; Wilks
Gillingham possible starting lineup:
Bonham; Jackson, Cundy, Tucker, Ogilvie; Graham, Dempsey, O'Keefe, MacDonald; Akinde, Oliver
We say: Hull City 1-1 Gillingham
Hull City's confidence could be slightly knocked after their winning run was put to an end last time out, and we see a resurgent Gillingham outfit taking a point from them on Saturday.
The Gills have produced a series of strong results against some of the league's top sides in recent weeks, showing their ability to compete, and we expect that to carry on with a good result at the KC Stadium.
Top tip
Sam Varley
Data Analysis
Our analysis of all available data, including recent performances and player stats up until an hour before kickoff, suggested the most likely outcome of this match was a Hull City win with a probability of 59.58%. A draw had a probability of 23.8% and a win for Gillingham had a probability of 16.57%.
The most likely scoreline for a Hull City win was 1-0 with a probability of 14.59%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 2-0 (12.32%) and 2-1 (9.36%). The likeliest drawn scoreline was 1-1 (11.09%), while for a Gillingham win it was 0-1 (6.57%). The actual scoreline of 1-1 was predicted with an 11.1% likelihood.
