Need to know
The two clubs have had very different seasons in the Championship
Hull City face Leicester City at The King Power Stadium (Image: Michael Regan/Getty Images)
Hull City go to Leiceste City on Tuesday night in a pivotal Championship encounter at opposite ends of the table with both clubs desperate for points for very different reasons.
Victory for City would keep them inside the play-offs and with their fate firmly in their own hands, while defeat coupled with a win for either Wrexham or Derby County would see them dumped outside the top six and with an uphill battle to get back into it.
Should Sergej Jakirovic’s men avoid defeat at the King Power Stadium, then the hosts would be relegated to League One with them starting eight points adrift of safety at the start of play, and only three games left.
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When is the game?
Orginally scheduled for Wednesday night, the game was recenty brought forward to Tuesday night at 7:45pm. That’s because the Foxes are playing at home to Millwall on Friday evening in front of the television cameras.
How can I watch it?
The game will be broadcast live on Sky Sports Football, as well as on Sky Go. Hull Live will have full live match coverage as with every City encounter, home or away.
What’s the permutations?
Anything other than three points would relegate the Foxes back to League One. A decade on from their famous Premier League title win, the Foxes will have their fate confirmed should they not get a positive result. The Foxes are eight points from safety with only nine available.
If West Brom, Charlton and Blackburn Rovers pick up points in this midweek round of games, the Foxes would also be relegated, even if they were winners.
City cannot secure a play-off place on Tuesday night, but victory at the King Power coupled with defeats for Wrexham at Oxford United and Derby County at Norwich City would give them a five point cushion to the Welsh side and six to the Rams with just two to play.
Who is the referee?
Thomas Kirk is the man in the midde, and he’ll be assisted by Alex James and Emily Carney with John Busby the fourth official. Kirk’s last match was Nottingham Forest’s 4-1 hammering of Burnley at the City Ground on Sunday, one of five top flight games he’s officiated this season.
The Yorkshire-based official has yet to take charge of City this season, with his sole Foxes outing coming at the King Power back in December when the Foxes beat Ipswich Town 3-1. Last term, he oversaw City games with QPR, Blackburn Rovers and Cardiff City. In his 32 games this term, he’s handed out 139 yellows and four reds.
What happened earlier in the season?
City raced into a 2-0 lead at the MKM Stadium back in late October through Liam Millar and Joe Gelhardt, before Aaron Ramsey scored a fine goal in the second half, but the Tigers held on to make it three wins on the spin. On their last visit to the King Power Stadium two seasons ago, Liam Delap scored the only goal in a 1-0 win on September 2, 2023.
Where to they go from here?
City go to The Valley on Saturday to tackle struggling Charlton Athletic, before rounding off the regular campaign at home to Norwich City.
Gary Rowett’s Foxes are back in action at the King Power Stadium on Friday night against promotion-chasing Millwall. Their season finishes away at Blackburn Rovers on Saturday week.
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