Preview: Hull City vs Preston North End - prediction, team news, lineups

Preston North End will be looking to continue their strong start to the Championship season when they travel to the east coast for a clash with Hull City this Tuesday night.

The Lilywhites are looking to extend their current unbeaten run to four games, while the Tigers will be hoping to shake off last weekend’s narrow defeat to Watford.

Match preview

Hull have scored more goals this season than five of the current top eight clubs in the league, though their defensive vulnerabilities have led to a mixed start to the campaign.

The Tigers head into Tuesday’s fixture on the back of a 2-1 defeat to Watford – their third league loss of the season and their seventh straight competitive game in which they have failed to keep a clean sheet.

Last weekend’s result at Vicarage Road ended Hull’s short-lived resurgence, which saw them earn a 2-2 draw away at Swansea City before beating Southampton 3-1 at the MKM Stadium.

Putting mixed results aside, Sergej Jakirovic and his men will be encouraged by their recent head-to-head record against Preston – a record which consists of just one defeat in six meetings, as well as a 2-1 win last April.

Speaking of the Lilywhites, Paul Heckingbottom’s side have enjoyed a sterling start to the campaign, sitting in the top six after the opening seven Championship matches.

Preston, who finished in a lowly 20th place last season, currently boast the joint-best defensive record in the competition after conceding just five goals – two of which came in a 2-2 draw against league leaders Middlesbrough.

Heckingbottom’s side have kept back-to-back clean sheets and are unbeaten in their last three league matches, last losing away at Portsmouth last month.

Preston’s last away fixture ended in a 1-0 victory over Derby County over a week ago, and the Lilywhites will be determined to continue their impressive record when they take on a team with the worst defensive record in the Championship so far this season.

Hull City Championship form:

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Preston North End Championship form:

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Team News

Hull City winger Mohamed Belloumi has picked up a fresh injury on his return from anterior cruciate ligament damage.

According to the latest reports, the Algerian forward picked up a hamstring injury which is expected to keep him out of action for six to eight weeks.

Eliot Matazo is also recovering from an ACL injury, with the Belgian midfielder last featuring for the Tigers last February.

Matt Crooks has been nursing an ankle injury since mid-August, while Semi Ajayi has been struggling with a hamstring issue since the opening weekend of the season.

Preston’s midfield duo Mads Frokjaer and Stefan Thordarson have been told to bide their time by manager Heckingbottom after failing to get much game time since the start of the season.

Brad Potts, who has been fighting a muscle injury, is back in training but is highly unlikely to feature on Tuesday night.

Defender Andrew Hughes picked up his fifth yellow card of the season against Bristol City, meaning he will be suspended for the trip to Hull.

Elsewhere, Jordan Thompson (leg), Robbie Brady (calf) and Will Keane (muscle) remain sidelined with injuries.

Hull City possible starting lineup:

Pandur; Giles, Hughes, Egan, Coyle; Lundstram, Hadziahmetovic; Joseph, Gellhardt, Drameh; McBurnie

Preston North End possible starting lineup:

Iversen; Vukcevic, Gibson, Storey; Whiteman; Small, Devine, McCann, Valentin; Dobbin, Osmajic

We say: Hull City 1-2 Preston North End

Hull have endured a mixed start to the season, though they have managed to pick up two wins from three home games in the Championship.

Preston have performed well during these early weeks of the season, and they have only conceded two goals during their four competitive away games this term. Bearing everything in mind, we are backing a narrow win for the visitors.

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