Hull City will be desperate to make the most of their game in hand to push away from the Premier League drop zone on Tuesday night, and they will be in far better spirits heading into clash thanks to a much-needed win last time out.
Visitors Liverpool have struggled to find form in recent weeks, dropping out of the FA Cup and seemingly out of the race to land a Champions League berth next season, making this a game that they simply must win to regain some hope.
Hull City
© Getty Images
Two points from a possible 18 prior to their meeting with Crystal Palace on the weekend left Hull hovering dangerously above the relegation zone. A goalless first half at Selhurst Park did little to settle the nerves, either, but a Dame N'Doye double helped the Tigers on their way to a massive 2-0 victory.
Leicester's resurgence over the past month, which has seen them win four games from four to climb out of the bottom three, provided Hull with a stark warning that they simply had to turn around their fortunes - and quick - if they were to avoid a return back to the Championship.
That win in South London was just the fourth three-point haul that Steve Bruce's men have laid claim to in 2015, yet despite their woes they have always done just about enough to remain out of the dreaded drop zone. That would have changed with a defeat against Palace, but thanks to the goalscoring heroics of N'Doye, a man who took a pay cut to join the club in January, they have managed to stay afloat for another week.
A first victory in six should provide the Humbersiders with a boost ahead of the visit of Liverpool, but Bruce - a man who has seen his fair share of relegation battles over the years - knows full well that it will be no easy task to shake off the likes of Queens Park Rangers, Burnley and Sunderland, who are all fighting for their lives.
Out of those sides facing the drop, City arguably face to toughest set of fixtures of the lot, with Arsenal, Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur and indeed Liverpool still to play. The good news is that four of their remaining five games are to be played on home soil, which is something Bruce is hoping will work in his side's favour.
Just four wins at the KC Stadium this term suggests a different story, but there is no denying that Hull certainly have the ability to upset the big boys, having taken points off Arsenal, Man City and Liverpool already this term.
Recent form: DDLLLW
Liverpool
© Getty Images
It has been a strange season for Liverpool in many ways, but one that will ultimately be seen as a failure. Just a few weeks back the Reds' slow start to the campaign had been completely forgotten as they racked up win after win to claw themselves back into European contention.
A 13-game unbeaten streak came to an end at the hands of arch-rivals Manchester United in mid-March, and that 2-1 defeat seemingly took all the wind out of the Merseyside outfit's sails. A second league defeat on the bounce followed at Arsenal just a few days later and, while they did manage to navigate their passage into the FA Cup semi-finals, a surprise loss at the hands of Aston Villa ended any hope of lifting silverware.
That costly reverse leaves Brendan Rodgers still searching for his first major honour as manager of Liverpool, which has only added fuel to the fire linking outgoing Borussia Dortmund boss Jurgen Klopp with the Anfield job. Liverpool chiefs are reportedly in no doubt that the Northern Irishman is the right man to take the club forward, though, and not many would have disagreed with that verdict just a month or so ago.
However, four points from the last 12 on offer, coupled with the recent FA Cup exit, has left somewhat of a cloud over Rodgers's reign. A goalless draw against West Bromwich Albion last time out did little to restore hope among supporters, with that tedious affair leaving the Reds seven points adrift of Manchester United in fourth.
Realistically, it is now about building ahead of next season in the hope of regaining a place in the Champions League at the very least, but at this moment in time last season's near-miss at the top of the Premier League table seems a million miles away.
Rodgers can not take all the blame for that, of course, with the injury to star striker Daniel Sturridge in particular highlighting the need for further spending over the summer. Until then, Liverpool must tick off the games and essentially watch on as events above them unfold in the league table.
Recent form in Premier League: WWLLWD
Recent form (all competitions): LLWWLD
Team News
© Getty Images
Rodgers revealed this week that Sturridge is not likely to feature again this season, meaning that Mario Balotelli is in line for a second league start in succession.
Alberto Moreno, Lucas Leiva and Mamadou Sakho are all injury doubts for the trip to Humberside, meanwhile, ensuring that Rodgers has little room to offer some of his stars a rest over the coming weeks. To highlight this point, Simon Mignolet and Jordan Henderson are in line to become the first top-flight players to rack up 50 appearances for the season should they feature.
There could be a place in the starting lineup for Steven Gerrard, however, as the midfielder enters the final stretch before waving goodbye to English football. He has scored four goals in his past six appearances against Hull, so could well go out with a bang if selected.
In terms of the home side, David Meyler is eligible to feature after sitting out the last game of his ban against Palace last time out, although Curtis Davies, Andrew Robertson and Mohamed Diame are all doubtful for the midweek clash.
N'Doye will no doubt be buoyed by his double at Selhurst Park, which took his tally up to five since making his debut in February, and he will prove to be a threat to the visitors, having scored in three of his four appearances at the KC Stadium.
Hull City possible starting lineup:
Harper; Brady, McShane, Dawson, Chester, Elmohamady; Huddlestone, Livermore, Meyler; Aluko, N'Doye
Liverpool possible starting lineup:
Mignolet; Johnson, Skrtel, Lovren, Can, Ibe; Gerrard, Henderson, Sterling, Coutinho; Balotelli
Head To Head
Hull have tasted victory on just one previous occasion against Liverpool in the Premier League - that win coming back in December 2013 when they ran out 3-1 winners at the KC Stadium.
The reverse meeting between these sides earlier this season ended as a stalemate, which is not at all surprising considering that the Tigers have failed to find the net in three of the last four encounters with the Reds.
Should Liverpool fail to claim all three points on Tuesday night then it will be the first time since December 2013 that they have gone three successive games on the road without a win.
We say: Hull City 2-1 Liverpool
Hull start a daunting run of fixtures with a tricky looking test against Liverpool, but boosted by their win over Palace they will push on and claim another big victory in front of their home supporters.
Daniel Lewis
