City return to the MKM Stadium for the first time in almost a month this weekend
Hull City head coach Sergej Jakirovic must decide whether or not to hand a first start in 10 months to Mohamed Belloumi when he picks his starting XI to face Southampton on Saturday.
Belloumi caught the eye of the bench again last weekend, his cross leading to City‘s 97th-minute equaliser when John Egan powered in a fizzing volley to earn his side a point.
The Algerian winger has gradually been stepping up his return from an ACL injury he picked up on Bonfire Night last November, and is edging closer to a first start since that night in Oxford when disaster struck for him and the Tigers.
Jakirovic will also have to decide whether to stick with skipper Lewie Coyle after he started his first game of the season in South Wales, at the expense of Cody Drameh, who had been an ever-present in the early weeks of the season.
Kasey Palmer is pushing for a return in the top third of the pitch after not getting off the bench at Swansea following a busy international break with Jamaica.
Another key area of focus will be on the left side of the pitch. At Swansea, Jakirovic opted to start Kyle Joseph in a bid to have him playing closer to Oli McBurnie, but at home, the Croatian could revert back to Joel Ndala.
Ndala made a positive impact off the bench to help the Tigers claim that deserved late point, while Darko Gyabi will be eyeing a home debut after his short cameo in the principality.
Enis Destan will likely start off the bench again as he continues to build up his fitness, having made his first appearance in English football against the Swans, and looked bright in the process before playing 45 minutes for the Under-21s in midweek.
Jakirovic will still be unable to call upon Semi Ajayi and Matt Crooks, but the pair are expected back next weekend when City head to Watford, though Brandon Williams could return for the visit of the Saints after recovering from a concussion picked up in training last Tuesday, while Liam Millar could be back in the squad after recovering from his ACL injury.
City’s predicted starting XI: Pandur, Giles, Hughes, Egan, Coyle, Lundstram, Hadziahmetovic, Ndala, Gelhardt, Belloumi, McBurnie.
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