Two sides at opposite ends of the Championship table go head to head as Hull City travel to stadium:mk to face MK Dons on Saturday.
The visitors are in the automatic promotion places and have a League Cup quarter-final to look forward to, while last year's League One runners-up sit just above the relegation zone.
MK Dons
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Last weekend's 3-0 defeat to Queens Park Rangers at Loftus Road has left the Championship newcomers sitting 21st in the table ahead of the visit of Hull, just a point clear of the relegation zone.
After a bright start to life in the second tier, with seven points from their first four games, the Dons have lost seven of their last nine matches in the Championship, resulting in them slipping down the standings.
Last weekend's result was worsened by fighting among the MK Dons fans at Loftus Road, which has seen seven people arrested and the Metropolitan Police open an investigation.
Karl Robinson's side have not scored in their last two outings, leaving them with just 12 goals from their 13 outings so far – only four clubs have been less prolific in front of goal. Ben Reeves is the only player to have scored more than once, netting a brace in the win over Blackburn Rovers.
The Milton Keynes outfit have a stronger defensive record than a number of sides above them in the table though, keeping three clean sheets while letting in 19 goals – Wolverhampton Wanderers, Ipswich Town and 10th-placed QPR have all let in more.
The manager has admitted in the build-up to this match that the squad are punching above their weight in the Championship, but insists that there is no disconnection between the players.
Recent form: LLDWLL
Recent form (all competitions): LLDWLL
Hull City
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Hull City are second in the table ahead of this match, having beaten Birmingham City last weekend, leaving the Tigers with three wins from their last four matches in the league, and unbeaten in their last seven.
Things got even better for the in-form side during the week as they defeated Premier League Leicester City in a penalty shootout in the fourth round of the League Cup, setting up a quarter-final meeting with top-flight leaders Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium in December.
Steve Bruce will know that his side will have to improve their away form if they are to seriously challenge for promotion this season though. Hull remain unbeaten at the KC Stadium, winning five of their home fixtures so far, but the team have won just twice in six away fixtures.
Hull have had the best defence in the Championship so far this season, conceding just eight goals while keeping six clean sheets. Charlton Athletic are the only side to have scored more than once in a match with Hull.
The Tigers have started to find their shooting boots in recent weeks too, taking their total for the season to 19, which is bettered by just five sides. Five of their goals have come from their last two outings.
Abel Hernandez's goal-scoring form has certainly boosted the team, with the Uruguayan international scoring five times in his last seven league appearances, as well as in the League Cup tie earlier this week, leaving him with eight goals in 13 appearances for Hull during the 2015-16 campaign.
Recent form: DDLDWW
Recent form (all competitions): DWDWWW
Team News
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Steve Bruce has admitted that he will have a difficult time picking his team for this match. He made a string of changes for the League Cup match, with a number of the fringe players putting in impressive performance, leaving the manager with some tricky decisions.
Bruce praised Shaun Maloney, Tom Huddlestone and Mohamed Diame in particularly, suggesting that the trio could get a run-out at stadium:mk.
Sone Aluko and Alex Bruce have both been carrying knocks over the last week, which could limit their involvement, while Curtis Davies continues to battle a calf problem.
The home side will be without striker Ben Reeves, as a scan confirmed that he suffered a calf strain during last week's match at Loftus Road, which forced him off after less than an hour.
MK Dons possible starting lineup:
Martin, Spence, McFadzean, Kay, Lewington, Poyet, Forster-Caskey, Hall, Carruthers, Murphy, Church
Hull City possible starting lineup:
McGregor, Odubajo, Dawson, Maguire, Robertson, Huddlestone, Livermore, Meyler, Maloney, Diame, Hernandez
Head To Head
These two teams have only been in the same league once before in 2004-05. In that League One season, Hull won 3-2 at home before a 1-1 draw at stadium:mk in their last meeting.
We say: MK Dons 0-2 Hull City
Even with Hull's struggles away from home so far this season, Steve Bruce's side should have enough to extend their unbeaten run, particularly with such a big squad to chose from, although MK Dons' defensive displays suggest that Hull will not run away with the match, especially if they are tired from their midweek match.
Sian Cowper
