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Preview: Hull City vs. Millwall - prediction, team news, lineups

Sports Mole previews Saturday's Championship clash between Hull City and Millwall, including team news and predicted lineups.

Hull City and Millwall with both be looking to bounce back from respective defeats when they go head-to-head at the KCOM Stadium in Saturday's Championship clash.

Hull find themselves back down in the bottom three ahead of the weekend's fixture, while Millwall have seen their playoffs hopes dwindle in the last few weeks.


Match preview

Grant McCann in charge of Hull City on August 3, 2019© Reuters

Hull supporters could have been forgiven for believing that their side's fortunes would change for the better after victory over Middlesbrough, but the Tigers' joy was short-lived and they have now suffered two defeats on the bounce in the second tier.

A fixture with an out-of-sorts Bristol City side provided the prime opportunity for Hull to gather momentum in their attempt to distance themselves from the bottom three, but Bristol City managed to end their nine-game winless streak with a 2-1 win over the Tigers in midweek.

Hull are now in a perilous position near the foot of the table as they lie 22nd on 45 points, although Grant McCann's side are only one point below Charlton Athletic with four games left to play.

The Tigers have endured two completely contrasting halves of the season, having gone from promotion hopefuls before Christmas to relegation candidates only a few months later.

One win from their last 16 in the Championship is most certainly a run of form associated with a relegation-threatened side, and Hull are running out of time to secure their safety in the Championship for the 2020-21 campaign.

Millwall's Matt Smith celebrates scoring against Nottingham Forest on March 6, 2020© Reuters

Millwall have not exactly hit the ground running since the restart either, and the Lions have all but conceded defeat in their bid to make the top six after picking up just one win since the restart.

Gary Rowett's side fell victim to a 2-0 defeat against a struggling Middlesbrough side in midweek and now lie 11th in the table, five points adrift of the playoff places at this very late stage of the campaign.

No-one is denying that Millwall could very well mount a late charge for the top six but their recent performances have left a lot to be desired, and Rowett's men have only managed to accumulate three wins from their last 14 outings in the second tier.

However, with 46 goals conceded this term, Millwall can boast the best defensive record in the league outside the top six, and the Lions have only shipped one goal on the road in their last six fixtures.

Rowett's side will endeavour to stretch their unbeaten away record to four games at the KCOM Stadium, and Millwall have lost to Hull just once in their last six meetings.

Hull City Championship form: LLDWLL

Millwall Championship form: WLDDWL


Team News

Hull City's Tom Eaves celebrates scoring their first goal against Sheffield Wednesday on October 1, 2019© Reuters

Hull's only confirmed absentee is on-loan Liverpool midfielder Herbie Kane, who is not expected to feature before the end of the season with a hamstring issue.

Callum Elder returned at left-back against Bristol City to give McCann a much-needed defensive boost, and Matthew Pennington is in contention to return on the opposite side of defence.

Tom Eaves is also pushing for a start up top having been brought on for the second half on Wednesday.

As far as Millwall are concerned, Mason Bennett and Jon Dadi Bodvarsson are not expected to feature, while Aiden O'Brien is a doubt.

Jayson Molumby and Shane Ferguson are both pushing for recalls, while Tom Bradshaw is battling it out with Matthew Smith to spearhead the Millwall attack.

Hull City possible starting lineup:
Long; Pennington, Burke, Wijs, Elder; Stewart, Honeyman; Wilks, Toral, Scott; Eaves

Millwall possible starting lineup:
Bialkowski; Hutchinson, Pearce, Cooper; Romeo, Molumby, Williams, Ferguson; Thompson, J. Wallace; Bradshaw


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We say: Hull City 1-2 Millwall

Hull have been nothing short of abysmal since the turn of the year, and Millwall will feel that this fixture gives them an ideal opportunity to keep the pressure on the teams above them, so we expect the Lions to continue their impressive recent away record with a slender victory at the KCOM Stadium.


ID:405805:

Who will win Saturday's Championship clash between Hull City and Millwall?

Hull City
Draw
Millwall
Hull City
28.1%
Draw
21.9%
Millwall
50.0%
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West Brom manager Slaven Bilic on June 20, 2020
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rhs 2.0
Tables
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
CLeeds UnitedLeeds46289977354293
3Fulham4623121164481681
4Cardiff CityCardiff4619161168581073
5Swansea CitySwansea461816126253970
6Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest461816125850870
7Millwall461717125751668
8Preston North EndPreston461812165954566
9Derby CountyDerby461713166264-264
10Blackburn RoversBlackburn461712176663363
11Bristol City461712176065-563
12Queens Park RangersQPR461610206776-958
13Reading461511205958156
14Stoke CityStoke46168226268-656
15Sheffield WednesdaySheff Weds461511205866-856
16Middlesbrough461314194861-1353
17Huddersfield TownHuddersfield461312215270-1851
18Luton TownLuton46149235482-2851
19Birmingham CityBirmingham461214205475-2150
20Barnsley461213214969-2049
RCharlton AthleticCharlton461212225065-1548
RWigan AthleticWigan461514175756147
RHull City46129255787-3045

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