Hull City are quickly slipping towards the relegation zone, with the Tigers in all sorts of problems following the home defeat to bottom-placed Crystal Palace. Meanwhile, Liverpool will be buoyed by the impressive display in the fiery Merseyside derby and the Reds will fancy their chances of winning at KC Stadium.

Difficult times for Tigers

Hull City have been showing a lot of promise since they returned to the top flight, and at one point it looked as though they might even escape the relegation tussle altogether. However, the Tigers then experienced some serious selection problems, with key players Robbie Brady, Sone Aluko, James Chester and Allan McGregor picking up injuries, and they now have Paul McShane also on the sidelines. That combined with the lack of strength in depth took the wind out of team’s sails and the Tigers in turn suffered four defeats in last five fixtures. Home defeat to ten-man Crystal Palace acted as a huge blow to the players’ confidence, so no doubt the hosts will struggle to match high-flying Liverpool on Sunday. Key midfielder Robbie Brady may have returned into action, but everybody can see he is still feeling the ill-effects of the groin problem, and chances are he won’t even start on Sunday after he was hauled off at half-time last weekend. With Paul McShane also set for a spell on the sidelines, expect Hull City’s defence to have their work cut out for them against the likes of Luis Suarez and Daniel Sturridge.

James Chester is back in contention, but he is unlikely to start, whereas Paul McShane, Stephen Quinn and Sone Aluko are all out.

A cracking Merseyside derby

This is quickly proving to be one of Liverpool’s most successful seasons in recent years, although many are wondering if the Reds have what it takes to continue the rich vein of form throughout the season. The club have done well to improve the strength in depth over the summer, with Brendan Rodgers now having enough quality options to cope with the minor injury crisis. The Reds did really well to return to the right track following the 2-0 defeat to title rivals Arsenal, hammering Fulham at home in the very next game, before playing out an entertaining 3-3 draw with local rivals Everton at Goodison Park. And even if they had the lead for much of the game, Liverpool were forced to salvage one point in the end, with Daniel Sturridge scoring a late header to make it 3-3. With the England international back to the starting line-up for the trip to Kingston upon Hull, and Luis Suarez still on top of his game, the visitors look a good bet to see off out-of-sorts Tigers and put extra pressure on their title rivals.

Daniel Sturridge is set to be recalled, whereas Jon Flanagan should keep his place in the side with Jose Enrique out injured.

Verdict

With quite a few important players either missing or not fully fit, Hull City have been on a major downtrend of late and I cannot see them ending the barren run against Liverpool. The Reds are still going strong and they will see this match as an excellent opportunity to cement the place in top 4.

Top pick: Away win   1.62 (5/8) @ Ladbrokes

Alternative pick 1: Liverpool/Liverpool   2.38 (11/8) @ Paddy Power

Alternative pick 2: Liverpool to win to nil   2.62 (13/8) @ Stan James