Hull City will look to extend their reach into the playoff places with a win over promotion rivals Preston North End this weekend at Deepdale.
Currently separated by three points, the Lancashire side will want a win to close the gap to the Tigers, who sit sixth in the table. A win here can see Hull pull further away from the Lilywhites and, depending on results elsewhere, could see them go six points clear of seventh-place.
Both teams are in fine veins of form, with Liam Rosenior’s side grabbing three wins, one loss and one draw in their last five outings. Meanwhile, Preston have achieved an impressive run of four wins out of their last five games.
π£οΈ βππ¦ π©π’π·π¦ π©π’π₯ π’ π¨π°π°π₯ πΈπ¦π¦π¬ πͺπ― π΅π©π¦ ππ¦π¨π΄ π’π―π₯ π³π¦π’π₯πΊ π΅π° π¨π° π°π― ππ’π΅πΆπ³π₯π’πΊ.β
π Ryan Allsop is ready for matchday!
πΊ Watch his full pre-match press conference for #PNEHUL on Tigers+. π#hcafc
— Hull City (@HullCity) March 1, 2024
Ryan Lowe’s men have beaten the likes of Ipswich Town, Middlesbrough and Coventry City. Rediscovering the form that had them so high up the table at the beginning of the season.
The Tigers have no fresh injury concerns, with attacker Liam Delap still on the sidelines after a serious leg injury he picked up at the beginning of January.
Having struggled through the winter months, both with results and injuries, Hull City have gotten some of their best players back such as Jean Michael Seri and Jaden Philogene, whilst choosing to reinforce their ranks with loan signings Anass Zaroury, Fabio Carvalho and Ryan Giles.
Preston didnβt bolster their own squad during the January window and will be without Kian Best, Brad Potts, and Duane Holmes as they host Hull tomorrow afternoon.
Speaking to Hull Live, visiting manager Rosenior gave a positive update on Noah Ohio, Adama Traore and Billy Sharp after the squad played a behind-closed-doors game to keep fitness levels up.
“He (Ohio) was one of the players who played 90 minutes on Tuesday and he did fantastically.
“I want them to feel like when they step into a team that we are a high energy, high pressing team now and that they can do it for 90 minutes and Noah has now put himself in a really good position for Saturday,” said the Tigers boss.
Writer’s View
Hull City will have to look out for ex-player Will Keane, who is Prestonβs top scorer this season with 12 goals and two assists. The Yorkshire club will also have to be careful of Rosenior’s old teammate, Robbie Brady, who has been a vital squad player for the Lancashire outfit this season.
Both teams will be excited by the opportunity to stake their claim at a spot in the top six as the season is coming to a close in just a few months. Every point matters between now and the end of the campaign.
