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

A drastic upturn in form for the Sky Blues has left them within striking distance of the top six, whereas Hull will be looking to record back-to-back wins as they aim for a top-half finish.

Match preview

After a January transfer window that suggested the club's hierarchy were content with waiting for next season to challenge for promotion, Coventry have enjoyed a brilliant run of results which has supporters dreaming of a trip to Wembley in May.

The Sky Blues are unbeaten in their last six Championship matches - winning four of those games - and have only tasted defeat once in the last eight, with that loss coming against a resurgent West Bromwich Albion side back at the start of February.

The John Smith's Stadium was the destination for Mark Robins's side last Saturday and the visitors put on a commanding display, beating relegation-threatened Huddersfield Town 4-0 in Coventry's biggest win of the campaign so far.

Once again Swedish striker Viktor Gyokeres was amongst the goals for the West Midlands outfit - bagging a brace in Yorkshire against the Terriers - with the 24-year-old now only four goals behind Chuba Akpom in the second-tier Golden Boot race.

Coventry have earned maximums against playoff-hopefuls Millwall and Sunderland in their last two matches at the CBS Arena, and it is fair to say supporters will be expecting their side to complete a hattrick of home successes on Saturday afternoon.

The remainder of Hull's season may not contain the excitement of chasing down the top six, however there is an air of cautious optimism around the MKM Stadium under manager Liam Rosenior and an owner who is set to invest considerably in the summer transfer window.

The Tigers recorded their first win in five games last Friday under the lights, with Benjamin Tetteh's first league goal of the season and a Dara O'Shea own goal securing three points at the expense of Carlos Corberan's Albion.

Rosenior's men were happy to allow the visiting Baggies most of the possession in the contest but were more effective in both boxes than their Black Country counterparts, with goalkeeper Karl Darlow earning Player of the Match for managing to keep West Brom at bay.

That maximum last time out made it five matches unbeaten at the MKM Stadium, however Hull's ventures on the road have been less fruitful of late, with the Tigers' last away win coming over two months ago at Wigan Athletic.

Sitting 14th in the Championship standings and with a 13-point buffer from the bottom three, one more win would almost certainly secure Hull's second-tier status for another year - perhaps a top-10 finish will now be the motivation for a Tigers' side marooned in midtable.

Coventry City Championship form:

D

W

W

W

D

W

Hull City Championship form:

W

D

L

D

L

W

Team News

Coventry are continuing to earn regular points despite a mounting injury list, with the absences of attacking midfielders Jamie Allen, Kasey Palmer and Callum O'Hare leaving Robins extremely light in that area of the pitch.

Ben Sheaf and Liam Kelly are also sidelined for the Sky Blues, meaning a midfield duo of Gustavo Hamer and Josh Eccles will have to go again against the Tigers on Saturday.

Ryan Howley impressed during his first-ever Championship start last weekend at Huddersfield, and the 19-year-old should retain his place in the XI behind the aforementioned Gyokeres and Matt Godden.

Hull are also struggling on the injury front ahead of the trip to the West Midlands, with Brighton loanee Aaron Connolly expected to be out until after the international break with a foot injury.

There is better news concerning midfielder Jean Michael Seri - the Ivorian has returned to training this week following a groin injury, although it is unlikely the 31-year-old will feature on Saturday.

Oscar Estupinan leads Hull's goalscoring charts so far with 12 strikes - eight more than any of his teammates - however after Tetteh impressed against West Brom last time out, the Colombian may have to settle for a place amongst the substitutes once again.

Coventry City possible starting lineup:

Wilson; McNally, McFadzean, Doyle; Dabo, Eccles, Hamer, Wilson-Esbrand, Howley; Godden, Gyokeres

Hull City possible starting lineup:

Darlow; Coyle, Jones, McLoughlin, Elder; Simons, Longman, Docherty, Tufan, Slater; Tetteh

We say: Coventry City 2-0 Hull City

With the season reaching its business end, Coventry are firmly in the playoff race and will be aiming for all three points against Hull on Saturday to potentially move into seventh.

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