Sports Mole previews Tuesday’s Championship clash between Oxford United and Hull City, including predictions, team news and possible lineups.
Oxford United will be aiming to end an eight-game winless run in the Championship when they continue their campaign with a home match against Hull City on Tuesday night.
The hosts have picked up 14 points from their 13 fixtures this season to sit down in 19th spot in the Championship table, while Hull are 15th, collecting 15 points from their opening 13 games of the campaign.
Match preview
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Oxford United, who were promoted to the Championship via last season’s League One playoffs, currently sit in 19th spot in England’s second tier, boasting 14 points from their opening 13 matches of the campaign.
The U’s will enter Tuesday’s clash with Hull off the back of successive defeats, losing 2-0 at Sunderland on October 26 before suffering a 2-1 reverse to Swansea City on Saturday afternoon.
Des Buckingham‘s side have not actually been victorious in the Championship since the middle of September, failing to triumph in their last eight matches, although five of those have finished level.
Oxford United have been relatively strong on their own patch this season, boasting a record of three wins, three draws and just one defeat from their seven matches, which has left them eighth in the home table on 12 points.
The Yellows are winless in their last three matches with Hull, though, including a 2-0 defeat when the two teams last locked in March 2021, with that fixture taking place in England’s third tier.
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Hull finished seventh in the Championship last season, missing out on the playoffs by only three points, but they have found it difficult in the early months of the 2024-25 campaign, only picking up 15 points from 13 matches.
The Tigers are 15th in the table, boasting a record of three wins, six draws and four defeats, and they are only one point ahead of their opponents on Tuesday night, so a defeat would see them slide down the table.
Tim Walter‘s side will enter this match off the back of a 1-1 draw with Portsmouth, and they have now shared the points with Burnley, Derby County and Portsmouth in their last three games in England’s second tier.
Hull have not been victorious in the Championship since the start of October, when they beat Queens Park Rangers 3-1, picking up just three points from their last five matches during a tough run of form.
The Tigers have won two, drawn two and lost two of their six away games in the Championship this season, only finding the back of the net on eight occasions in their travels.
Oxford United Championship form:
Hull City Championship form:
Hull City form (all competitions):
Team News
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Oxford United will once again be missing a number of first-team players on Tuesday, with Kyle Edwards, Siriki Dembele, Przemyslaw Placheta, Cameron Brannagan, Joe Bennett and Matt Phillips unavailable for selection.
The U’s did not suffer any fresh problems against Swansea, though, and it would not be a surprise to see the same XI take to the field here, with Mark Harris set to continue in the final third of the field.
Harris is the team’s top goalscorer this season with four, while there are also set to be spots in the XI for Tyler Goodrham and Ruben Rodrigues, who have five goals between them during the 2024-25 campaign.
As for Hull, Carl Rushworth, Steven Alzate, Marvin Mehlem, Liam Millar, Thimothee Lo-Tutala, Andy Smith, Ryan Longman and Harvey Cartwright will miss the match through injury.
Joao Pedro scored his first league goal of the season against Portsmouth on Saturday, and the 25-year-old is set to continue in the final third of the field for the Tigers on Tuesday night.
Hull head coach Walter could select the same side that took to the field for the first whistle at the weekend, with Xavier Simons again set to feature in central midfield for the visitors, meaning that Kasey Palmer may have to accept a spot on the bench.
Oxford United possible starting lineup:
Cumming; Kioso, Moore, Nelson, Brown; Dale, Rodrigues, McEachran, Sibley, Goodrham; Harris
Hull City possible starting lineup:
Pandur; Coyle, Jones, Hughes, Drameh; Simons, Puerta; Belloumi, Slater, Kamara; Pedro
We say: Oxford United 1-1 Hull City
There is not an awful lot between the two sides in terms of quality, as demonstrated by the league table, and we are expecting a close game on Tuesday night. Oxford United have home advantage, but Hull are good enough to secure a share of the spoils in this contest.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.