Hull City head to Stoke City this weekend desperately needing to improve their away form.
Crystal Palace’s 3-0 win over Arsenal has changed the outlook of the Premier League’s relegation battle. From a couple of weeks ago when anyone from 10th down looked in serious risk of dropping down to the Championship, it now looks as though it will be a straight shoot out between Hull City and Swansea City for that final relegation spot, with Sunderland and Middlesbrough surely doomed.
Hull City’s form since the arrival of Marco Silva has been very good. At home, they have been dominant, winning four and drawing one. Away from home though, their form has barely changed, with five defeats and one draw, although that has included trips to Manchester United, Chelsea, Arsenal, Everton and Manchester City.
If the Tigers are to stay in the Premier League this season, they surely have to pick up some points on the road between now and May 21st, and no game presents a better opportunity to do just that than this weekends trip to Stoke City, who have lost their last four games on the bounce, and are currently looking for that one win which will ensure their safety, much like a handful of other teams in and around them.
Hull City manager Marco Silva has some big decisions to make this weekend
Ahead of this crucial game, Marco Silva can welcome Tom Huddlestone back into the fold following his three game suspension, whilst Omar Elabdellaoui and Harry Maguire should return from injury. Those three have all been regular starters under Silva, and that leaves the young Portuguese boss with some decisions to make.
Firstly, there is the question of formation. The Tigers have experimented with 4-4-2, 4-5-1 and and 3-5-2 in recent weeks. Having at first been reluctant to commit to playing two centre-forwards, the combination of Abel Hernandez and Oumar Niasse worked a treat in the second half against Swansea City, prompting Silva to stick with that approach for the home wins against West Ham and Middlesbrough.
A knock to Abel Hernandez saw him drop to the bench from the trip to Manchester City, although Silva may have reverted to a less adventurous approach for that game anyway. For this weekends clash at the Bet365 Stadium, both Hernandez and Niasse are fully fit, and if Silva sees Stoke as being there for the taking, he could start both from the off.
However, with Tom Huddlestone back and Evandro having impressed almost every time he has pulled on a black and amber shirt, it seems highly likely that Silva will stick with five in midfield. He cannot play both without dropping one of Sam Clucas and Alfred N’Diaye though, and that makes me suspect Evandro will be the one to drop out.
Above is what I believe is Hull City’s most likely starting XI. A little cautious, perhaps, but we have seen Marco Silva start games with a safety-first approach and use his substitutions to devastating effect. Oumar Niasse is capable of having a big impact off the bench, and Evandro could be introduced both with the intention of picking apart a defence or keeping hold of the ball should Hull City be leading.
Predicting a Silva XI is rarely easy, the Portuguese boss has sprung a surprise on more than one occasion, and it would be typical of him to start a Shaun Maloney or Markus Henriksen for this one. He has more options available to him this weekend than at any other time in charge of Hull City, making such a prediction doubly difficult.
Stoke City, meanwhile, started with a 4-4-2 against Liverpool, but will be without central midfielder Joe Allen due to a hamstring injury for this one. Xherdan Shaqiri was the difference between the two teams at the KCOM Stadium earlier this season, and keeping both him and Marko Arnautovic quiet could be key to the Tigers success this weekend. Hull City have already beaten Stoke City at the Bet365 Stadium once this season, a 2-1 win courtesy of goals by Ryan Mason and Markus Henriksen in the EFL Cup.
Ryan Mason celebrates scoring for Hull City against Stoke City
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