The Tigers head to Sheffield aiming to make it four straight Championship wins
Hull City could welcome back John Lundstram into their squad for their Boxing Day trip to struggling Sheffield Wednesday at Hillsborough.
Lundstram has missed the last four games with a knee injury he picked up in training just days after returning from a calf injury at Stoke City at the end of November.
The midfielder only played for the final 10 minutes in what proved to be a fiery end to proceedings at the bet365 Stadium, before sustaining his problem ahead of the defeat to Middlesbrough.
The 31-year-old hasn’t yet returned to training, and he will be assessed between now and Friday, but his imminent return is a timely boost for boss Sergej Jakirovoc going into a busy spell of four games in 10 days over Christmas.
Should Lundstram not be fit enough to feature, then it’s expected he will be in the travelling party for the game at Middlesbrough on December 29.
City will still be without Joe Gelhardt and Eliot Matazo throughout the festive period, but Lundstram’s close return further eases what have been ongoing injury problems all season.
Kasey Palmer is back in training and could also be involved against the stricken Owls, with City reporting no fresh issues after the 1-0 win over West Brom on Saturday, meaning Charlie Hughes and Kyle Joseph are both fine after sustaining damage against Albion.
“We will see. He has some issues,” Jakirovic told Hull Live. “We will make a decision together with the medical staff. Maybe if he’s not ready for Friday, we will postpone his return on the pitch. He’s not training with the group. We will see tomorrow (Tuesday) and Wednesday. We have two sessions, so we’ll see. He’s frustrated, but he also has experience, so he knows his own body, and for me it’s OK.”
“It’s medical, but how he (Lundstram) feels is much, much more important for me, and he is an honest guy. He will tell me if he’s ready or not, so this is also his decision.”
Palmer hasn’t played for City since the 2-2 draw with Preston North End in late September, but the Jamaican international is pushing for a return to the fold.
“He’s (Palmer) training normally. He had just two months off the pitch, so we are looking forward to his seeing fitness, and we will decide as well, but in these four games we will use him for sure. Charlie Hughes is good. He has six stitches, but he’s fine. He trained today (Monday) normally, so everything is OK.”
Speaking about Joe Gelhardt’s recovery from his calf injury, Jakirovic still expects the 10-goal frontman to return towards the second half of next month.
“Gelhardt is in therapy, no pain, no nothing, so he’s with the medical staff inside the gym. Our prediction is around mid-January or one week later, but we will see, it’s his calf, and we have experience with it.”
Eliot Matazo is also stepping up his recovery from the ACL injury he sustained at Cardiff City early in the New Year, and is back on the grass and kicking balls in what’s a timely step forward for the Belgian midfielder.
“It’s much easier for him (Matazo) because he’s finally on the grass, he’s running, loading his fitness, and we will see. We are tracking the situation together with the medical staff. If he doesn’t have any issues, then he will join the group, I think, also in mid-January to early February.”
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