Barclays Premier League
Venue: KC Stadium Date: Sunday, 27 December 2009 Kick-off: 1600 GMT
Coverage: BBC Sport website, BBC Radio 5 Live, local radio, live on Sky Sports & highlights on Match of the Day 2
TEAM NEWS
**Hull City midfielder Nick Barmby suffered a calf strain in the defeat to Arsenal and may miss out.**Tigers boss Phil Brown has no other fresh injury concerns.
Manchester United’s injury-hit defence could be bolstered by the return of Nemanja Vidic and Rafael, with Ryan Giggs also expected to be available.
Wes Brown is also close to full fitness following a hamstring injury and has an outside chance of being included in Sunday’s squad.
Hull
Suspended: None Doubtful: Barmby (calf)
Injured: Ashbee & Bullard (both knee)
Man Utd
Suspended: None
Doubtful: Brown & Giggs (both hamstring), Vidic (calf)
Injured: Evans & Ferdinand (both calf), Hargreaves & Van der Sar (both knee), Macheda (hamstring), Nani (ankle), Neville (groin), O’Shea (thigh)
MATCH PREVIEW
It is eight years since Manchester United last lost five league games before Christmas. Hull City were struggling in the bottom tier back then as Arsenal won the Premier League title, with Sir Alex Ferguson’s team finishing 10 points adrift in third.
“The target is to win every game we can from now on… We always do well in this period and now, more than ever, we need victories”
Man Utd defender Patrice Evra
United fans must fear a similar fate this season if their side’s form does not improve quickly. Saturday’s
3-0 capitulation at Fulham was their second defeat in three games, with the champions struggling to cope with a crippling injury list that deprived them of seven senior defenders at Craven Cottage, plus first-choice goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar.
Ferguson admitted after Saturday’s defeat that United’s title hopes are hanging by a thread. Maximum points against Hull and at home to Wigan three days later are vital for restoring momentum.
United’s last visit to the KC Stadium ended with Phil Brown serenading the home fans as the Tigers secured Premier League survival, despite a 1-0 defeat.
A relegation battle looks to be on the cards again with Hull just three points above bottom club Portsmouth, winless in four and without a goal in their last three.
MATCH FACTS
Head-to-head
• Manchester United have won their last five meetings with Hull, spanning 34 years, keeping clean sheets in four of them.
606: DEBATE
Have your say on this match
Hull
• Hull’s four league wins this season have all come at the KC Stadium.
• The Tigers have won seven out of 28 home matches in their Premier League history (25%).
• They are 10 points worse off than at this stage last season.
• Nick Barmby needs one goal to total 100 in his club career.
Man Utd
• United are the only team not to have dropped any points from a winning position in the Premier League this season.
• If selected, Michael Owen will be making his 400th appearance for an English club.
• If Paul Scholes scores he will become the 18th player to score 100 goals in the Premier League.
LEADING GOALSCORERS
Hull
Geovanni: 4 goals (3 league);
Bullard & Hunt: 3 goals (3 league)
Man Utd
Rooney: 13 goals (12 league); Owen: 7 goals (2 league)
MATCH OFFICIALS
Referee: Alan Wiley
Assistant referees: Andy Garratt & Shaun Procter-Green
Fourth official: Martin Atkinson
LAST LEAGUE MATCH LINE-UPS
**Hull **(L0-3 v Arsenal, a): Myhill; McShane, Zayatte, Gardner, Dawson, Boateng, Garcia (Cousin 61), Geovanni (Mendy 69), Barmby (Olofinjana 46), Hunt, Fagan. Subs not used: Duke, Kilbane, Ghilas, Vennegoor of Hesselink.
**Man Utd **(L0-3 v Fulham, a): Kuszczak; Fletcher, De Laet (Fabio 58), Carrick, Evra, Valencia, Scholes, Anderson, Gibson (Berbatov 58), Owen (Welbeck 72), Rooney. Subs Not Used: Foster, Park, Tosic, Obertan.
MOST RECENT MEETING
Hull 0-1 Man Utd (24 May 2009)
Man Utd scorer: Gibson 24.