Preview: Blackburn Rovers vs. Hull City - prediction, team news, lineups

Both sides head into this one after drawing their fixtures at the weekend, with the hosts sitting in mid-table and the visitors struggling above the relegation places on their return to the second tier.

Match preview

Blackburn manager Tony Mowbray will be eager for the match on Tuesday to come around quickly for him and his players.

The memories of Saturday's two dropped points will be fresh in their minds but will view the Hull match as a perfect opportunity to quickly erase the negative feelings.

Rovers found themselves two goals in front against Luton Town at the weekend, after quickfire goals from Tyrhys Dolan and Harry Pickering in the first half saw them head into half time with a deserved 2-0 lead.

However, they failed to react to Luton's change of shape and personnel and found themselves pegged back in the second half, after missing chances to extend their lead and kill the game.

The devastating equaliser in the eighth minute of stoppage time will be the reason for their frustrations and eagerness to put it right on Tuesday against Hull.

Prior to the weekend, Blackburn have endured a mixed start to the season, with the inability to turn draws into wins being the reason for not sitting pretty in a playoff position.

Two wins, three draws and just the one defeat from the opening six Championship matches is still a healthy return for Mowbray's side though.

Meanwhile, just like their hosts on Tuesday, Hull drew themselves at the weekend - a goalless draw away to Swansea City.

The Tigers had their backs to the wall for much of that match and offered very little in the attacking third.

However, considering the quality of opposition and Hull's expected struggles this season, manager Grant McCann will have been pleased with the hard-fought point and the solid defensive unit on display.

That result on Saturday meant it was back-to-back goalless draws for the newly-promoted side, after earning another impressive point against promotion-chasing Bournemouth prior to the international break.

On a concerning note for McCann though, the failure to find the net in both of those matches means that Hull have failed to score in the league since the opening weekend of the new Championship season.

The joys of the 4-1 hammering away to Preston North End in the opening game are now a distant memory, with three straight defeats and two consecutive draws since, all whilst failing to score, means Hull currently sit in 20th place on their return to the second tier.

Blackburn Rovers Championship form:

Blackburn Rovers form (all competitions):

Hull City Championship form:

Hull City form (all competitions):

Team News

After appearing they would be without their key man, Blackburn had Ben Brereton Diaz in their starting lineup against Luton. He was caught up in the initial FIFA-imposed bans caused by the international call-up rows, which were dropped just hours before kickoff on Saturday.

Whilst Brereton Diaz will be available, fellow key man Bradley Dack remains on the sidelines, with his most recent serious knee injury ruling him out until around November at least.

Fellow long-term absentee Scott Wharton remains unavailable, whilst Tayo Edun, Joe Rankin-Costello, Jan Paul van Hecke and Bradley Johnson are all listed as doubtful.

As for the visitors, regular defender Alfie Jones is listed as doubtful for the trip to Blackburn, after missing the last three matches with a thigh problem.

Di'Shon Bernard has performed well in his absence at the heart of the defence so should keep his place.

Influential key man George Honeyman has not featured yet this season and he is unlikely to be available again on Tuesday.

Blackburn Rovers possible starting lineup:

Kaminski; Nyambe, Lenihan, Ayala, Pickering; Travis, Clarkson; Dolan, Buckley, Brereton Diaz; Butterworth

Hull City possible starting lineup:

Ingram; Coyle, Bernard, Greaves, Elder; Huddlestone, Docherty; Lewis-Potter, Moncur, Wilks; Magennis

We say: Blackburn Rovers 2-1 Hull City

Although we believe Hull will manage to score their first goal in six matches, we say Blackburn will edge out their visitors by a narrow scoreline here. The home advantage, as well as their extra piece of quality in the attacking third, should see them secure a narrow victory in a hard-fought encounter.