The Tigers play the first of two games before the international break on Tuesday night
Hull City have no time to revel in the joy of a first win at Norwich City in 15 years as attention now turns to Tuesday night’s trip to in-form Derby County.
Saturday’s 2-0 win in Norfolk saw City make it four wins in their last six unbeaten games, but the Championship’s relentless fixture schedule sees the Tigers now head to Pride Park, and Sergej Jakirovic will have to call on his injury-ravaged squad to go again.
City are not expected to have any of their injured first team players back, so they will arrive at Pride Park without the likes of Oli McBurnie, John Lundstram, Liam Millar and Mo Belloumi.
Joe Gelhardt has an issue with his ankle but is expected to play while Akin Famewo is likely to recover from a hamstring problem to bolster the options on the bench, and Brandon Williams could be in the squad.
Despite the lengthy list of influential absentees, Jakirovic is extracting every last bit of energy and form from the players who remain, and they’ll need to do so again against a side coming into the game on the back of three straight wins, including two at home and a 3-1 success at Sheffield United on Saturday.
Jakirovic made two changes at Carrow Road with Joel Ndala and Lewie Coyle coming back into the side, while he changed back to his more favoured 4-2-3-1 shape. Semi Ajayi was initially rested but came on at half-time to shore things up as the Croatian head coach shifted his shape again to try and get a foothold in the game.
Derby are a side who go long and play into Carlton Morris, something the Blades forgot to deal with on Saturday as the former Luton Town striker netted a first career hat-trick.
Ajayi will almost certainly come back into the starting line-up, and it could see Jakirovic go to a back three with Coyle and in-form Ryan Giles operating as wing-backs.
That could then see Regan Slater, Amir Hadziahmetovic and Matt Crooks in the middle with Kyle Joseph and Joe Gelhardt up front, perhaps with Saturday’s goalscorer playing just off Joseph.
City’s predicted starting XI: Pandur, Giles, Hughes, Egan, Ajayi, Coyle, Crooks, Amir, Slater, Gelhardt, Joseph.
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