Sports Mole previews Wednesday’s Championship clash between Hull City and Burnley, including predictions, team news and possible lineups.
Aiming to avoid three straight defeats in the second tier, Hull City will welcome Premier League-chasing Burnley to the MKM Stadium for a Championship battle on Wednesday night.
The Tigers were unimpressive during their defeat at the hands of high-flying Sunderland on Sunday, whilst the Clarets cruised to three points at the home of Sheffield Wednesday a day earlier.
Match preview
© Imago
Following a three-game winning run versus Stoke City, Cardiff City and Queens Park Rangers, a familiar theme of struggle has returned to the table of Hull, who have now lost back-to-back Championship contests either side of the international break by an aggregate scoreline of 5-0.
The Tigers were unable to bounce back from a sobering afternoon in Norwich on October 5 as league leaders Sunderland visited the MKM Stadium on Sunday afternoon, when the Humberside club were once again caught on the break, with French striker Wilson Isidor sealing maximum points for the Black Cats.
After a rollercoaster start to the 2024-25 second-tier schedule, Hull are currently occupying 14th position in the Championship standings with 10 matches under their belt, sitting six points behind Blackburn Rovers in sixth and just four points ahead of Cardiff in the highest of the relegation spots.
Representative of the major summer overhaul, only defender Regan Slater remains from a group of 11 players who found the net on more than one occasion for the Tigers in the Championship last campaign, with stars such as Jaden Philogene and Jacob Greaves departing for the Premier League during the off-season.
Hull supporters have been given little reason for cheer whilst supporting their side at the MKM Stadium in 2024, with Wednesday’s hosts winning just three matches at the venue in the calendar year, the most recent of those successes arriving on September 28 against relegation-threatened Cardiff.
Since consecutive defeats at promotion rivals Sunderland and EFL Cup conquerors Wolverhampton Wanderers near the end of August, Burnley have strung together a seven-match unbeaten run in the Championship, boosting their chances of securing a return to the Premier League at the first time of asking.
Following a frustrating share of the spoils with Preston North End at Turf Moor prior to the international pause, the Clarets got back to winning ways on Saturday afternoon in Yorkshire, where efforts either side of the half-time break from Jaidon Anthony and Josh Brownhill secured three points versus Sheffield Wednesday.
Currently enjoying the longest unbeaten spell in the division so far this season, Burnley are sitting pretty in the automatic promotions spots of the Championship table, a single point off early pacesetters Sunderland and two points ahead of third-placed Leeds United.
Conceding only four goals across 10 second-tier contests in 2024-25, the Clarets are hoping to build on a solid base during their quest for a top-tier ticket, with a centre-back pairing of Maxime Esteve and Conrad Egan-Riley ahead of goalkeeper James Trafford representing a formidable obstacle for opposition attackers.
Due to the departure of Vincent Kompany to German powerhouses Bayern Munich over the summer, Scott Parker has taken the reins at Turf Moor, with the 44-year-old coach winning promotion during both of his previous campaigns as a manager in the Championship with Fulham and most recently Bournemouth.
Hull City Championship form:
Burnley Championship form:
Team News
Earning his maiden start of the Championship term on Sunday, Hull’s Charlie Hughes impressed in defence despite defeat and should play once again at the MKM Stadium.
Tigers head coach Tim Walter is set to make some alterations in attack after his side fired a blank versus Sunderland, meaning that Liam Millar and Kasey Palmer could be promoted from the bench.
Suffering an injury whilst on international duty with South Africa, Lyle Foster is facing a spell on the sidelines, limiting Burnley’s options at the top end of the pitch.
Clarets boss Parker was full of praise for Zian Flemming‘s performance as the focal point at Hillsborough on the weekend, meaning that the flying Dutchman should start on Wednesday night.
Burnley are performing exceptionally well in defence despite battling against a number of injury issues, with Hannes Delcroix, Jordan Beyer and Hjalmar Ekdal all currently in the medical room.
Hull City possible starting lineup:
Pandur; Coyle, Jones, Hughes, Drameh; Simons, Mehlem, Palmer; Belloumi, Pedro, Millar
Burnley possible starting lineup:
Trafford; Roberts, Egan-Riley, Esteve, Humphreys; Cullen, Brownhill; Koleosho, Laurent, Anthony; Flemming
We say: Hull City 0-1 Burnley
Hull have been susceptible to fast breaks during the opening weeks of the season, and Burnley possess the quality to punish the hosts for any defensive negligence on Wednesday night.
The Clarets will be confident of recording five straight clean sheets as they visit a Hull side who failed to register a shot on target versus Sunderland last time out.
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