There may be 25 points separating top-four challengers Manchester United and relegation battlers Hull City in the Premier League table, but the Tigers are responsible for ending their opponents' 17-match unbeaten run in all competitions.
Marco Silva's team got one over on his Portuguese compatriot Jose Mourinho in the EFL Cup last week, but despite Hull winning 2-1 on the night, United progressed into the final of the competition.
The Tigers will hope to cause another upset when they travel to Old Trafford for their league meeting on Wednesday evening.
Manchester United
© SilverHubAfter an inconsistent spell across October and November, United are finally finding their feet in the Premier League.
They are unbeaten in their last 13 fixtures on the bounce and are well within a shout of the top four as they currently sit sixth in the standings, four points adrift of arch rivals Liverpool, who sit in the final Champions League spot.
Mourinho's side can still mathematically win the title this season, but they face an almost impossible task of overhauling Chelsea, who have a 14-point advantage over the Red Devils.
Top four will be United's priority, and they also have a chance of silverware after reaching the EFL Cup final, where they will face Southampton at Wembley on February 26.
The Europa League trophy is also up for grabs for United, while they remain on course to retain their FA Cup crown after earning a comprehensive 4-0 win over Wigan Athletic in the fourth round on Sunday.
After winning just five of their first 14 league games of the season, questions were raised over United's quality, and there were concerns that the club would not even be challenging for the top four come May.
Mourinho has since turned their fortunes around with six straight victories from December 11, but their last two top-flight fixtures have ended in 1-1 draws.
On January 15, United welcomed Liverpool to Anfield, and for the first half they struggled to impose their game, with Paul Pogba in particular below par.
The £89m midfielder also handled in the box to give away a penalty, which James Milner converted, putting Liverpool ahead inside the first half-hour.
United secured a late point, though, when Zlatan Ibrahimovic scored in the 84th minute at Old Trafford.
Outside of the Premier League, United encountered some trouble against their upcoming opponents in the second leg of the EFL Cup semi-finals.
Even though United progressed, they put on a disappointing display, particularly in the first half when they went a goal down following Tom Huddlestone's penalty.
Pogba drew level in the 66th minute, but an 85th-minute strike from January signing Oumar Niasse gave Hull the win, even though it was meaningless for Marco Silva's side.
The performance may have reminded United fans of the difficult spell in the early stages of the season, but the rout over Wigan will give the team confidence heading into Wednesday's fixture.
Recent form: WWWWDD
Recent form (all competitions): WWDDLW
Hull City
© SilverHubThe Tigers were tipped for a relegation battle after they earned promotion to the Premier League via the playoffs at the start of the season, and that prediction has proved accurate.
Hull currently reside second from bottom in the standings after picking up 16 points from a possible 48, with just four wins and four draws.
They have suffered 14 losses so far in the campaign, and have only tasted victory once in their last 11 outings.
During that time, Mike Phelan was replaced with new head coach Silva, who secured a win in his first Premier League game in charge. That result came in the form of a 3-1 win over Bournemouth on home turf.
As expected, they were beaten by Chelsea in the following league fixture, and even though they lost to United across two legs in the EFL Cup semi-finals, they more than held their own by winning the second leg.
It was disappointment at the weekend in the FA Cup as they bowed out of the tournament to Championship outfit Fulham, who earned a 4-1 triumph in the fourth round.
Matters off the pitch have been concerning for the Tigers, as in the matter of one week they sold two of their important players.
Jake Livermore was sold to West Bromwich Albion for £10m, while Robert Snodgrass, who is the club's leading scorer this season, joined West Ham United for a similar fee.
It has caused discontent among the supporters, so a surprise win over United would provide a morale boost, particularly as it could take them out of the relegation zone.
The statistics are negative reading for Hull, though, as only Sunderland, Watford and Crystal Palace are in a worse run of form in the division at the moment.
The Tigers have picked up just four points from their last six games, and their defence is also the second worst in the league having conceded 47 goals and keeping just the solitary clean sheet, which was a 2-0 victory over Swansea City in the second weekend of the season.
As well as the necessity to improve at the back, they are lacking firepower up front having scored just 20 goals in 22 games, which is equal to Sunderland and only slightly better than Middlesbrough's tally of 18 - the lowest in the division.
It poses a huge problem that their leading scorer has jumped ship, but Hull will be hoping that recent recruit Niasse can step up to the plate, despite him failing to get a game for his former club Everton in the first half of the season.
Recent form: LLDLWL
Recent form (all competitions): WLWLWL
Team News
© SilverHubMourinho told the media prior to his team's match against Wigan in the FA Cup that Anthony Martial would be given a starting spot on Wednesday night if he "played magnificent" at the weekend; the French forward, who before the Wigan tie was left out of the matchday squad for two consecutive games, produced assists for two of United's four goals and almost had a third.
His performance may earn him a spot on the bench, but it is unlikely that he will be in the first XI, with Juan Mata and Henrikh Mkhitaryan likely to join Ibrahimovic in attack.
Eric Bailly has returned to Old Trafford from the Africa Cup of Nations, but he is unlikely to start after suffering an ankle problem while playing for the Under-23s on Monday night.
As for Hull, they have been busy on transfer deadline day, signing Inter Milan defender Andrea Ranocchia on loan, and he is available to make his debut tomorrow evening.
The Tigers have a string of injury problems, with Curtis Davies facing up to eight weeks with a hamstring issue, while Ryan Mason has begun his recovery from a fractured skull after being released from hospital on Monday.
Manchester United possible starting lineup:
De Gea; Valencia, Jones, Rojo, Shaw; Herrera, Carrick, Pogba; Mata, Ibrahimovic, Mkhitaryan
Hull City possible starting lineup:
Marshall; Maguire, Dawson, Ranocchia; Meyler, Clucas, Huddlestone, Henriksen, Robertson; Niasse, Hernandez
Head To Head
As mentioned, Hull managed to get one over United in the EFL Cup last week, but in terms of league meetings, only one goal separated the clubs at the KCOM Stadium in late August.
Marcus Rashford found the back of the net, but it could have been an entirely different result as his goal was scored in the 90th minute.
Prior to that match, the last time that the two clubs went head to head in the Premier League was in the 2014-15 season, when United won 3-0 at home and then played out a goalless draw on the road.
Hull have not beaten United in the league since November 1974 when they claimed a 2-0 triumph in Division Two. There have been just 10 league meetings since then.
In fact, the Tigers have a miserable record over the Red Devils, having won just six of their 31 games in all competitions, while United have been victorious on 21 occasions and four have ended in draws.
We say: Manchester United 3-0 Hull City
Silva's side impressed against United on home turf last week in the EFL Cup, but there are different circumstances this time around. For one thing, the game is being staged at Old Trafford, and Mourinho is expected to field a full-strength side as they look to continue putting pressure on their rivals above them. Silva has plenty of work to do to retain Hull's league status, and with games against Liverpool and Arsenal next up on the fixture list, the pressure is on. United have scored just four goals in their last four matches against the Tigers, but they have enough quality to earn a comprehensive score on Wednesday night.
