The Tigers welcome The Cottagers to the MKM Stadium in what is a rather interesting FA Cup third round tie. Both sides will be wanting a strong performance in the cup and both are unbeaten in the league since action returned following the World Cup. 

Team news

Hull City

Hull City have won their last two and are unbeaten in five games and boss Liam Rosenior has been dealt a massive boost with the expectant return to the squad of Benjamin Tetteh, who hasn't featured since September.

“Benji is going to be back on the bench which I’m delighted about,” said Rosenior in his pre match press conference. Rosenior also provided clarity on the injury suffered to winger Allahyar Sayyadmanesh, who was subbed at half time of their win at Wigan Athletic last time out. “He’s seeing a specialist which isn’t great news for us, but we’ll just have to wait and see what comes back from that,” Rosenior said, so it's looking like a long spell on the sidelines for the Iranian.

There have been a couple of outgoings at the MKM Stadium this week too, with winger Randell Williams joining Bolton Wanderers permanently and full back Brandon Fleming joining Oxford United on loan until the end of the season.

Midfielder Jean-Michael Seri and full back Cyrus Christie are both set to feature against their former clubs. Striker Tyler Smith will also be pushing for a starting berth after his brace from the bench at the DW Stadium.

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Fulham

Fulham very surprisingly sit seventh in the Premier League and are level on points with Liverpool. They have won their last three games, with two of them on the road against Leicester City and Crystal Palace, keeping clean sheets in both of those.

Boss Marco Silva announced in his press conference that his side have no new injury concerns, with Shane Duffy missing out through illness and Neeskens Kebano remains a long-term injury absentee. The Cottagers have been boosted with contract extensions for defender Tosin Adarabioyo and Bobby De-Cordova Reid and expect the pair to feature for their visit to Hull. 

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Likely lineups

Hull

Ingram; Christie, Figueiredo, Greaves, McLoughlin; Seri, Docherty, Slater; Longman, T.Smith, Estupinan.

Fulham

Rodak; Tete, Diop, Ream, Robinson; Reed, Pereira, Chalobah; De-Cordova Reid, Willian; Mitrovic.

Key players

Oscar Estupinan

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Look no further than Oscar Estupinan as Hull's star man. He set the Championship alight when he first arrived over the summer, netting seven goals in his first six league appearances. From then up to November Estupinan only found the net once in the league. Since Championship action resumed following the World Cup though, the 26-year-old has scored three in his last three matches, including the winner in their recent away trip to Birmingham City.

This too coincides with their recent upturn in form. If he can keep up the scoring spree, then you may well see the Tigers roaring towards the Championship play-off places very soon. 

Aleksander Mitrovic

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It's difficult to look past combative Serbian forward Mitrovic as Fulham's one to watch in this game. His aerial threat is a huge concern for Hull and whoever starts at centre-back will no doubt be given a difficult game.

The 28-year-old has two in his last three games and scored a very well-taken goal in the Cottagers' last outing against Leicester. Only Ivan Toney, Harry Kane and Erling Haaland have more Premier League goals this season than Mitrovic's 11 and if he does feature, don't be surprised to see him add to his tally once again.

Only bottom of the Championship Wigan Athletic have conceded more goals than Hull City this season in the league and 'Mitro' will be looking to add to the Tigers' defensive woes.

Match details

Where is the game being played? 

The game will be played at the MKM Stadium, home of Hull City FC. The match referee will be Josh Smith. If the match is drawn, then a replay will take place at Fulham's Craven Cottage to determine the winner. 

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What time is kick off? 

The game will take place on Saturday January 7 with a 15:00 BST kick off time. 

How can I watch? 

Unfortunately, the match is not available to watch anywhere in the UK, but an audio match pass can be purchased from both club websites.

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