Hull City are due to make a trip to the Stamford Bridge this weekend in order to face Chelsea in the 5th round of the FA Cup. Nigel Adkins’ side, in order to progress further, do have an uphill task ahead of them but they will be approaching the tie with a bit of confidence, having beaten Nottingham Forest on Saturday.
They have a lot of players either out injured or not available for selection in the FA Cup fixture. Nonetheless, here is how we expect Adkins to set up his starting line-up against Antonio Conte’s troops.
Defence
It would be interesting to see how Adkins rolls out his defensive line amidst various concerns to face the Premier League heavyweights. Ola Aina, Michael Hector and Fikayo Tomori would not be eligible to face their parent club. To worsen the scenario, Ondrej Mazuch and Moses Odubajo are also out due to injury.
Moreover, Stephen Kingsley returned to training last week and might not be forced into the game as they are due to make a trip to the Riverside Stadium for the league fixture. At the right-back slot, David Meyler might be given the nod to start by Adkins as he has taken up this role earlier whereas, in the left-back position, Max Clark is anticipated to be picked.
Angus MacDonald is currently the only central defender available with Hull City and he is expected to be stationed alongside Michael Dawson, although there are still some concerns about his fitness. David Marshall is likely to be placed between the sticks once again.
Midfield
Sebastian Larsson collected his 10th yellow card of the season in his side’s 2-0 away win against Nottingham Forest on Saturday and would be serving the first of his two-match ban. Markus Henriksen is also out owing to his ankle injury and thus, we might see Kevin Stewart and Jackson Irvine being pencilled together in the central defensive midfield.
Jon Toral would be an intriguing option in the no.10 position and the 23-year-old, if he is given the chance to thrive, would have to showcase his creative and attacking prowess and make the most of the opportunity.
Attack
Kamil Grosicki has been nursing a foot injury but the Tigers really need him. He is rated as touch and go for the clash against the Blues. If he starts, he is likely to be chalked at the right-wing whereas, at the left-wing, Adama Diomande might start. Nouha Dicko expected to spearhead Hull City’s attack against Chelsea.
