Hull City host fellow relegation strugglers Queens Park Rangers at the KC Stadium on Saturday knowing a win for either side will see them leap clear of the relegation zone.
The Tigers occupy 16th place in the Premier League table with the R’s only a point behind them in 17th. Both sides enjoyed wins last time out, with Hull picking up a 2-0 win over Aston Villa, a result which cost Villa manager Paul Lambert his job, as he was sacked the next day. Meanwhile QPR finally won their first away game of the season with a 2-0 win at the Stadium of Light over Sunderland.
Hull ended a run of five games in all competitions with that win last week but it’ll be vital for Steve Bruce’s men to deliver a similar result if they are to battle for survival. Likewise with QPR, caretaker boss Chris Ramsey will want to stake his claim to be appointed manager of the London club full time.
The big news for Hull going into this game is the injury setback of Mohamed Diame. The tough tackling midfielder was set to make his return after nearly ten weeks out with an knee injury, but a knock on the same knee this week means Bruce isn’t going to risk playing him this week.
"He's had a slight setback, he had a knock to his knee on Monday and we've taken him off it all week," said manager Steve Bruce. "We don't think it's going to be too long, in fact we hope he can be joining in with training in the middle of next week. "But it's set him back a week or 10 days so he won't be available on Saturday,” the Hull manager added.
The Senegalese midfielder was in good form after his £3.5million move from West Ham, scoring four goals in his first five games. QPR however welcome back top scorer Charlie Austin for the game at the KC Stadium. The England international returns after a foot injury to boost Chris Ramsey’s squad which is already missing a few key names.
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Hull manager Steve Bruce could name an unchanged side as for the first time in a while the Tigers boss has no fresh injury concerns to worry about. Only Mohamed Diame (knee) joins long terms absentees James Chester (shoulder), Liam Rosenior (hamstring) and Robert Snodgrass (knee) on the sidelines.
Rangers boss Chris Ramsey has a host of injuries to contend with, despite the return of Charlie Austin, the caretaker boss has six first team players out for the game at the KC Stadium. Richard Dunne and Leroy Fer are both missing due to knee injuries, while Sandro and Alejandro Faurlin (bith knee) are long term absentees. Nedum Onuoha (hamstring) and Mauricio Isla are both also missing for QPR.
These two last met on the opening day of the season, with a James Chester goal giving Hull a 1-0 in the game at Loftus Road. Hull could complete the double this weekend with a win, while QPR go on the hunt for consecutive wins for the first time this season.