Hull City vs Leeds United analysis: Five key battles and score prediction
MKM Stadium is set for a crunch Yorkshire derby on Saturday as relegation candidates Hull City welcome promotion-chasing Leeds United.
Hull saw a valuable home point slip through their fingers on Wednesday when Middlesbrough plundered a stoppage-time winner.
Elsewhere, a Blackburn smash-and-grab forced Leeds to settle for a disappointing draw at Elland Road.
Looking ahead to the weekend, Sports News Blitz writer Samuel Leasley outlines five key battles to anticipate and offers a score prediction.
Ruben Selles vs Daniel Farke
Having kept Boro at bay for 90 minutes, Selles will no doubt be frustrated at such a late lapse in concentration.
A draw would have seen the struggling Tigers trail Portsmouth on goal difference alone, but now they find themselves two points adrift in the bottom three.
Selles will have his work cut out once again as his team prepares to face a Leeds side that has scored a league-high 45 goals in 25 games.
That said, Farke is likely to be even more disappointed after Leeds failed to clear a set piece a mere two minutes after taking the lead against Blackburn.
The Whites were frustrated by a procession of time wasting, not to mention the visitor’s low block, at Elland Road yet looked to have taken all three points following Pascal Struijk’s penalty.
However, subsequent pinball in the Leeds six-yard box led to the ball trickling in at the right-hand post, and the hosts duly dropped points at home for the first time in over three months.
Farke will thus be hopeful that his team can make it three away wins on the bounce to extend their three-point lead at the top of the Championship table.
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Lewie Coyle vs Dan James
One of two former Leeds full-backs in contention to start against their old side is Coyle, and he will have it all to do in contending with James.
Coyle has been an ever-present in the Hull line-up this season, starting 24 fixtures and accumulating solid defensive numbers in the process.
The full-back has made 36 successful tackles and 18 interceptions this campaign whilst only conceding five cautions.
He is also a regular target for the opposition and has won a staggering 45 fouls, 24 more than any other squad member and amongst the highest in Europe.
James, on the other hand, was rather ineffective in midweek against Blackburn following his terrific burst of form over the festive period.
Rovers double-marked the Welshman for the majority of the fixture and his influence was decidedly stifled as a result.
The former Manchester United man will now look to bounce back against a Hull side struggling for form.
With contributions against bottom sides Portsmouth, Plymouth, Oxford, and Luton already in the bag, James will want to add to his tally of five goals and keep the lurking Wilfried Gnonto and Largie Ramazani out of the team.
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Joao Pedro vs Pascal Struijk
Pedro currently sits atop the Hull scoring charts with four goals, but the Tigers are sure to be hoping for an increase in output if they are to get out of trouble.
The Italian scored in back-to-back games in December, against Coventry and Swansea, before being somewhat absent in the past three fixtures.
So far this season, Hull have only scored 22 goals – the joint-lowest in the league – and some of that blame has to make its way to the misfiring forward line.
In addition, Pedro has committed the most fouls of any player at the club with 28 due to his aggressive approach against opposing centre-backs.
The man he will be up against on Saturday is Struijk, fresh off scoring a pressure penalty in midweek before watching his work unfold in front of his eyes as Leeds threw away two points at the death against Blackburn.
Struijk is effectively the first name on the team sheet these days, typically placed at the heart of defence alongside Joe Rodon.
He has made 25 interceptions and 14 successful tackles in what has been a productive campaign so far.
It is this contribution that has helped Leeds accumulate 14 clean sheets and concede the second-fewest goals in the Championship.
Despite the blip at home in midweek, Struijk will be looking to marshal the defence to a third consecutive clean sheet on the road following astute defensive performances against Stoke City and Derby County.
Mason Burstow vs Jayden Bogle
A youngster who has seen a notable increase in game time in recent months in the Hull set-up is Burstow.
In the absence of Liam Miller, Burstow has evolved from bit-part player to undisputed regular, and he is already influencing results positively for the Tigers.
Indeed, the former Chelsea man netted the winner in Hull’s recent home victory against Swansea.
On the back of only five starts, Burstow has already provided more shots on target (11) than any other player in the Hull squad, thanks largely to his forward prowess and pace in behind.
Facing up to Burstow on the Leeds right-hand side will be Bogle, who is likely to have recovered from his dead leg against Blackburn in time for Saturday.
Leeds were severely affected once Bogle was substituted in that game as his tendency to overlap often provides the Whites with attacking overloads and chance creation.
Bogle has also won the most tackles of any Leeds player (34) alongside making 14 interceptions from wing-back.
Following a shaky start to life at Elland Road, Bogle has firmly cemented his place at right-back and proven himself a threat at both ends of the pitch.
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Alfie Jones vs Joel Piroe
Jones is another defender who will need to be on top form to deal with the Leeds frontline at the MKM.
The former Southampton man has made the most interceptions of any Tigers player (23) to go with 11 successful tackles this term.
He has also been a reliable presence on the ball with a passing accuracy of 87%, the highest of any regular starter.
On Saturday, Jones must contend with Leeds’ top scorer Piroe.
Dutchman Piroe was noticeably quiet against Blackburn and failed to influence the game on account of Rovers playing with ten men behind the ball at times.
However, Piroe had been on a fine run of form before that, with the striker netting a brace at Stoke and providing the winning assist at Derby.
Considering that all nine of his league goals this season have come inside the penalty area, the former Swansea man is a particularly potent threat in and around the opposition goal.
If Piroe returns to his best for this fixture, Leeds should manage a repeat of their home win over Hull from earlier in the campaign and condemn the Tigers to further relegation worry.
Score prediction: Hull City 0-2 Leeds United
