Relegation-threatened Hull City play host to fellow strugglers Charlton Athletic at the KCOM Stadium for Saturday's bottom-of-the-table Championship clash.
The two teams have each suffered three consecutive league defeats heading into the match, and both sides are in desperate need of wins should they have any hope of avoiding the drop to League One.
Match preview
© Reuters
Following their 5-1 thrashing at the hands of Stoke City last weekend, Grant McCann's side are in a perilous position at the foot of the table, only two points clear of the relegation zone in 21st.
The Tigers have now lost four Championship games on the bounce, and are the only team in England's second tier without a win in their previous six matches despite their promising early-season form.
In that time, Hull have conceded a staggering 19 goals in their last six league matches, including nine in their previous two against Stoke and Leeds United. Only Luton Town (71) have shipped more goals than McCann's side (63) this season.
It could be argued that the loss of Jarrod Bowen to West Ham United has had a significant impact on the former Premier League outfit, who have not chalked up a league win since New Year's Day.
Should other results favour the Tigers this weekend, they could climb as high as 17th with a victory in front of their own fans. A loss to Charlton would see McCann's side drop below their relegation rivals into 22nd.
© Reuters
Charlton's 1-0 defeat against fellow relegation candidates Middlesbrough was a harsh reality check for Lee Bowyer, and recent off-the-field issues at The Valley have rubbed salt into the former midfielder's wounds.
A bitter dispute over funding with director Tahnoon Nimer has done little to help Charlton's cause, who are winless and goalless in their last three matches.
Prior to their home defeat against Jonathan Woodgate's side, the Addicks suffered losses away to Huddersfield Town and Sheffield Wednesday as they lie 22nd in the table on 39 points.
The stats do not lie heavily in Bowyer's favour heading to the KCOM Stadium, as Charlton have only won three times on their travels all season, with two of those coming in August.
Since then, their only victory on the road came against Nottingham Forest last month, however they are facing a Tigers team who coincidentally have the worst home form in the Championship.
Bowyer's side cannot drop any further down the table, but could potentially rise three places to 19th with a win depending on results elsewhere.
Charlton goalkeeper Dillon Phillips's last-minute own goal salvaged a point for Hull in a 2-2 draw at The Valley in December.
Hull City Championship form: LDLLLL
Charlton Athletic Championship form: WLWLLL
Team News
© Reuters
Hull have had a vast array of injuries to contend with over the season, however McCann has confirmed that a couple of players could be back in action at the weekend.
The Tigers boss refused to name names, but Jordy de Wijs and Jon Toral are both believed to be close to a return.
Saturday's match will be too soon for Reece Burke and Josh Bowler, while Tom Eaves, Eric Lichaj, Herbie Kane and James Scott all remain out for the season.
Charlton defender Naby Sarr could potentially make a return to the squad for the relegation crunch match, while fellow centre-back Tom Lockyer returns from a two-game suspension.
Long-term absentees Jonathan Leko, Lewis Page and Sam Field are all unavailable, while Deji Oshilaja is likely to make way for Lockyer in the heart of defence.
Hull City possible starting lineup:
Long; McKenzie, Pennington, McLoughlin, Elder; Maddison, Batty, Lopes, Irvine, Honeyman; Magennis
Charlton Athletic possible starting lineup:
Phillips; Matthews, Lockyer, Pearce, Doughty; Pratley, Cullen, Davis, McGeady; Green, Taylor
We say: Hull City 0-1 Charlton Athletic
Both sides will be aware of what good a victory could do to their survival hopes this weekend. However, Hull's dismal home record coupled with Charlton's slight resurgence of form means that we're going for a narrow victory for Lee Bowyer's men.
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 43.15%. A win for Charlton Athletic had a probability of 30.69% and a draw had a probability of 26.2%.
The most likely scoreline for a Hull City win was 1-0 with a probability of 10.69%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 2-1 (8.89%) and 2-0 (7.64%). The likeliest Charlton Athletic win was 0-1 (8.7%), while for a drawn scoreline it was 1-1 (12.43%). The actual scoreline of 0-1 was predicted with an 8.7% likelihood.
