• Watford v Hull City
• Sky Bet Championship
• Vicarage Road
• Sunday December 11, 3pm KO

• Referee: Dean Whitestone
• Assistant Referees: Nigel Lugg and Robert Hyde
• Fourth Official: Tim Robinson

A run of four successive defeats, and just three wins in 10 games, led to the sacking of Hull manager Shota Arveladze at the end of September, with former Tiger Liam Rosenior stepping into the top job early last month.

In his three games in charge so far, Rosenior - who spent five seasons in East Yorkshire as a player between 2010 and 2015, and had started the 2022/23 campaign in interim charge of Derby County - has overseen a draw, a defeat and a win, and the 38-year-old will have benefited from the chance to work with his new squad during the month-long World Cup-enforced break.

Hull sit just two places off the bottom three in 20th with 21 games played, and though they are unbeaten in their last four games on the road, they have the worst goal difference in the league (-14).

• Watford haven’t faced Hull City since the 2016/17 Premier League campaign. Both home sides won their games that season, with the Hornets taking the three points in a 1-0 victory at Vicarage Road under Walter Mazzarri.

• The Hornets will be looking to complete back-to-back home wins over the Tigers for only the second time in their history, last achieving the feat between 1979 and 1990.

• Watford have won six of their 11 games since the appointment of Head Coach Slaven Bilić in September, conceding just two in their last six games.

For an extensive statistical breakdown, check out Stats Buzz: Hull City In Numbers.

In his pre-match press conference, Watford Head Coach Slaven Bilić revealed that Jeremy Ngakia, Tom Dele-Bashiru and Craig Cathcart are all fit and ready for the visit of Hull.

Striker Rey Manaj has a chance of being involved, though the game may come too soon, while defender Kortney Hause and forward Samuel Kalu are nearing returns.

Bilić shared positive news on injured duo Tom Cleverley and Imrân Louza - who are expected to be back in full training soon after the New Year - while Dan Gosling is progressing well following his serious injury sustained against Bristol City last month.

For the full Watford team news, click HERE.

Hull will be without forward Óscar Estupiñán, who continues to serve his suspension for a red card in the game against Millwall on November 5. Ozan Tufan could feature for the Tigers, with the Turkish midfielder having made nine appearances for Watford in all competitions last season. Goalkeeper Nathan Baxter is available after injury.

Slaven Bilić, Watford Head Coach:

“We had time to work on everything, went to Spain for just under a week and then came back here for a couple of weeks. It was a good break for us and now we are ready for the restart of the Championship.

“They’re [Hull] a big team with big ambitions. They were in the Premier League and have very ambitious owners, good players and a recent change in manager. They play good football and this is a ‘first game’. It’s a big game for us.

“They changed the way they play, they play possession football and from what I’ve seen they’re very good at that. They take chances, take risks and lose the ball but they frustrate with their possession. You can stop them from creating chances but it’s not easy to stop them from keeping the ball, they’re good at that and can make you nervous. We want to win the game but it will be difficult.”

Liam Rosenior, Hull City Manager:

“We’re in a really good place. It’s been surreal with the World Cup going on and going to Turkey. I’ve enjoyed it [the break] and I’ve got to know the players really well. There have been some really bright signs of the players understanding how I want to play.

“They’ve [Watford] got some top players and a top manager. We know it’s going to be difficult, but I want the players to enjoy these challenges. I believe we can get three points, but we need to make sure we’re consistent throughout the season.”

Overall:

Won: 12
Drawn: 15
Lost: 17

Last Six:

April 2017: Hull City 2-0 Watford (Premier League)
October 2016: Watford 1-0 Hull City (Premier League)
April 2013: Hull City 0-1 Watford (Championship)
December 2012: Watford 1-2 Hull City (Championship)
April 2012: Watford 1-1 Hull City (Championship)
October 2011: Hull City 3-2 Watford (Championship)

Watford reduced Hull to their sixth straight Premier League defeat the last time the teams met at Vicarage Road, with Michael Dawson’s late own goal securing a narrow 1-0 win for the Hornets in October 2016.

Walter Mazzarri’s hosts dominated proceedings throughout - with Younes Kaboul and Roberto Pereyra hitting the woodwork in the first half - and though the game appeared to be heading for a draw, Hull captain Dawson deflected in Daryl Janmaat’s cross on 82 minutes to swing the game in Watford’s favour, who went up to seventh in the table as a result.