Sports Mole previews Sunday’s Championship clash between Hull City and West Bromwich Albion, including predictions, team news and possible lineups.
Both looking to halt their worrying winless runs, Hull City and West Bromwich Albion will clash for an all-important Championship match at the MKM Stadium on Sunday afternoon.
The Tigers were defeated on the road by newly-promoted Oxford United last time out, whereas the Baggies endured another frustrating evening at The Hawthorns against Burnley.
Match preview
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Since an excellent 3-1 away win over Queens Park Rangers on the first day of October, Hull City have endured a six-game winless spell in the Championship, severely damaging their chances of competing in the upper echelons of the division following a seventh-placed finish last term.
It appeared as if the Tigers were turning a corner with three straight draws versus Burnley, Derby County and Portsmouth recently, however Sunday’s hosts are back to square one after a sobering defeat at the Kassam Stadium against Oxford on Tuesday night, when right-back Hidde ter Avest scored the game-winning goal.
Winless in over a month, Hull have dropped down the second-tier rankings and currently occupy 18th position in the Championship table, seven points behind Millwall in the lowest of the playoff spots and level on points with Wayne Rooney‘s Plymouth Argyle, who sit in the relegation zone.
Following the departures of Liam Delap, Jaden Philogene and Fabio Carvalho over the summer, it would be an understatement to say that the Tigers are not as threatening in attack when compared to their exciting crop of 2023-24, with the Humberside club scoring just three times across their last six contests.
Hull are in desperate need to improve their form at the MKM Stadium if they wish to mount an unlikely push for a top-six berth during the second part of the campaign, with Tim Walter‘s troops collecting just seven points at home to date – only QPR (4) and bottom side Portsmouth (3) have earned fewer in the division at their respective bases.
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After a six-game unbeaten run at the beginning of the 2024-25 Championship campaign, West Bromwich Albion are now in the midst of their longest-ever winless spell under the forward-thinking stewardship of Carlos Corberan, with the Baggies failing to pick up a victory from any of their last eight games.
For a third straight match at The Hawthorns, Albion played out a lacklustre goalless draw on Thursday night, when the hosts were arguably lucky to keep promotion candidates Burnley at bay following the controversial decision to disallow Jaidon Anthony‘s effort for an apparent push on Callum Styles.
Season ticket holders in the Black Country are failing to receive value for money so far this season, with seven West Brom home matches providing just three total goals, the fewest in English football history, taking the unwanted record off York City’s group from the 1972-73 term.
Focusing on matters away from The Hawthorns, Corberan’s side competed well to earn a point at fellow top-six hopefuls Blackburn Rovers on October 23 but were largely unconvincing during stalemates at Oxford United and Luton Town, with both of those matches finishing 1-1.
Owing to their record of just two defeats from their opening 14 second-tier matches, West Brom remain firmly in the playoff race as the final international break of the calendar year approaches, with the Baggies sitting fifth in the Championship table, ahead of seventh-placed Watford on goal difference.
Hull City Championship form:
West Bromwich Albion Championship form:
Team News
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Hull were dealt a major injury blow earlier in the week, with summer arrival Mohamed Belloumi sustaining a campaign-ending knee injury during the defeat at Oxford.
The creative Algerian joins Canadian Liam Millar on the sidelines for the remainder of the 2024-25 term, severely reducing the Tigers’ options on both flanks.
The hosts remain without the services of England Under-21 international Carl Rushworth until December, meaning that Ivor Pandur will retain his spot in between the sticks.
West Brom are faring pretty well defensively despite a raft of absentees from their first-choice backline, with Kyle Bartley (knee), Semi Ajayi (leg) and Paddy McNair (hamstring) all out of action.
The Baggies’ options at left-back have been limited further by the groin injury of Gianluca Frabotta, who failed to make the matchday squad on Thursday for the Black Country visit of Burnley.
Hull City possible starting lineup:
Pandur; Coyle, Jones, Hughes, Drameh; Simons, Palmer, Puerta, Slater, Omur; Pedro
West Bromwich Albion possible starting lineup:
Palmer; Furlong, Holgate, Heggem, Styles; Mowatt, Racic, Fellows, Diagana, Johnston; Maja
We say: Hull City 0-0 West Bromwich Albion
With key absentees on both sides, we are expecting a low-scoring affair between Hull and West Brom at the MKM Stadium, where a moment of quality could decide the destination of the points.
For all their attacking struggles, the Baggies have remained relatively solid and should be able to force a share of the spoils on Humberside.
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