Hull City

Hull City defender Ryan Giles will be out for eight weeks with a hamstring injury, according to head coach Sergej Jakirovic.

The 26-year-old left-back was forced off with the injury early in the second-half of Tuesday night's 4-2 win over Derby County in the Championship.

It is the second hamstring issue of the season for Giles, who missed the whole of January.

"I expected it to be six weeks, so he's missing another two weeks. It's his other leg, so it's not the same muscle," Jakirovic told BBC Radio Humberside.

"He never had this in his life before, but we cannot change anything, so we are looking forward to getting him back at least a couple of games before the end of the season."

Giles' absence increases the Tigers' defensive problems with Matty Jacob also out for at least six weeks with a knee injury.

"Every injury is a big blow for our team as they are big players for us. He [Giles] played a lot of games, and more worries for us is Matty Jacob is also injured, so we don't have any natural options [at left-back].

"We have Akin Famewo, but he is more a centre-back. But we will see for Saturday."

Hull are fifth in the Championship table and visit Portsmouth on Saturday (12:30 GMT), but will also be without on-loan Bristol City winger Yu Hirakawa, who is set to have surgery for an ankle injury.

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Portsmouth go into this game five points clear of the Championship's relegation zone although a two-game winning streak on the road was ended by defeat at Wrexham on Tuesday night.

For their part, Hull City halted a two-match losing sequence by beating Derby in midweek and will hope to complete a first league double over Pompey for nearly 60 years.

• Portsmouth are winless in their past four league games against Hull City (D2 L2), last having a longer run against the Tigers between 1974 and 1980 (D3 L2).

• Following their 3-2 win in November, Hull City are looking to complete their first league double over Portsmouth since 1966-67.

• Portsmouth lost their past home league match and have only twice lost consecutively at Fratton Park since the start of last season (September 2024 and October 2025).

• Hull have won their past four away league games, last winning five in a row on the road in April 1966 in the third tier.

• Joe Gelhardt has scored more away goals than any other Hull player in the Championship this season (five), and has netted four goals in his past six starts on the road.

Hull manager Sergej Jakirovic says that his side's physical approach and teamwork were vital in their victory over play-off rivals Derby.

He told BBC Radio Humberside that the difference between this performance and last weekend's shock home loss to QPR was that the team "fought as one".

"A great victory for us. It was a great team effort.

"We played a little bit different today, pragmatic, because of the pitch. We were very aggressive, on the front foot.

"It was a very nervous game, but we were very strong in the challenges, completely different from Saturday.

"It was a demanding game, because Derby are a very strong team physically. For us, scoring the fourth goal when we did was perfect as it ended the game."

Hull City assistant manager Dean Holden says winger Yu Hirakawa will see a specialist to determine the extent of an ankle injury.

Hirakawa came off in Saturday's defeat at home by QPR and faces a spell on the sidelines.

Holden said the extent of the injury will be determined on Tuesday but admits it is a blow to be without him.

"He is going to see the specialist," he told BBC Radio Humberside. "We'll have more information after that meeting.

"It was innocuous. He came off in a lot of pain with swelling in the ankle after he flipped it over.

"It is in the hands of the experts, we'll await the outcome. It is another unfortunate one for us.

"He has really impressed with his quality and energy. The fans have really taken to him, as have the boys. It'll be a big miss for us."

Holden also confirmed midfielder Matt Crooks is expected to be in the squad against Derby after stepping up his recovery.

"We expect Crooksy to be back in the squad. He trained this morning and looks OK. He is a good player and brings something different to the team.

"He's been out for a period of time and not trained a great deal. We'll have to see how many minutes he'll play."

Derby County will seek to regain their place in the top six when they make the trip to fifth placed Hull City on Tuesday (19:45 GMT)

A 2-0 loss to Watford on the weekend meant the Rams were ousted to eighth but are still just three points away from their former haunt of sixth, now occupied by Wrexham.

However, while the Tigers might have a five point cushion in the play-off spots, no wins in their past three games (D1 L2) will have them hungry to try and stop the rot before they come into striking distance of those below.

• Hull are winless in their last six league games against Derby (D1 L5) since a 2-0 home win in October 2019.

• Derby have won each of their last two away league games against Hull both via 1-0 scorelines and will be looking to claim three away victories in succession in this fixture for the first time.

• Derby have won each of their last three away league games against Yorkshire sides, having lost nine consecutive visits to the county before this.

• Derby are unbeaten in their last 11 midweek (Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday) league games (W7 D4), conceding just five goals in that run since a 1-0 loss against Sunderland in January 2025.

• Derby manager John Eustace has won all three of his away league games against Hull City, with his sides keeping a clean sheet each time.

Hull City boss Sergej Jakirovic told BBC Radio Humberside after his side's 3-1 defeat to QPR:

"Bad game for us, especially the last 10 minutes. We lost our balance and discipline on the pitch.

"We conceded a really cheap goal from the corner, from a throw-in - there is nobody on the midfielder and it is unacceptable.

"When we are in the attacking phase, we don't have too much space and we cannot turn with the ball.

"I think we entered very well the game, until the first goal which we conceded from the corner, which is for me unbelievable.

"We equalised and had some good decisions with the ball. After the substitutions, I think we can put them under more pressure, but the second goal is thoroughly unacceptable.

"I'm very angry because they didn't create these chances, QPR. We created those chances."

Image source, Opta

Hull City will hope to get their Championship promotion bid back on track when they welcome QPR on Saturday lunchtime (kick-off 12:30 GMT).

The Tigers are without a win in their past two games but are six points clear of seventh and seven points behind the automatic promotion places.

The Hoops have won just twice in their past 10 games (D4 L4) to slide from seventh in late December to 13th - though QPR are still only four points back from the top six.

• Hull City have lost their past two league meetings with QPR (1-2 in January and 2-3 in November 2025) – they have never lost three in a row against them in league competition.

• QPR have only won three of their previous 16 away league games against Hull (D7 L6), although all three of those victories have come within their most recent five trips (L2).

• Hull City have failed to win in their past two league games (D1 L1), despite both being home matches. Only once have they gone three without a win this season (D1 L2 in August/September).

• QPR are winless across their past seven away games in the Championship (D4 L3), with each of the past three ending 0-0 – only two sides have ever played four consecutive away goalless draws in the history of the second tier: Grimsby Town in 1963 and Crystal Palace in 1978-1979.

• Hull City rank 22nd for total shots in the Championship this season (345), but joint-6th for shots on target (135). The Tigers have fired the highest share of their attempts on target in the division this term (39%).

Image source, EFL

Puma's Rainbow ball will return to the English Football League as part of an on-going campaign against discrimination and homophobia.

The special edition rainbow ball was introduced in 2024 to mark LGBTQ+ History Month and will be used at every EFL game from 20 February until 1 March.

Manufacturers Puma will make a donation to Football v Homophobia for every goal scored with their rainbow ball across the Championship, League One and League Two.

The donations will help support education against homophobia and promote inclusion across the season.

The EFL have released a video, external to coincide with the campaign which features a Preston North End fan who was charged with a hate crime following homophobic chanting during an FA Cup fixture against Chelsea.

The rainbow ball will also feature in EFL partner EA Sports' FC 26 video game.

"The rainbow ball is a powerful symbol of the values we uphold across the EFL all season long," EFL chief executive officer Trevor Birch said.

"It not only reflects our longstanding commitment to ensuring the League is representative of all its diverse communities, but also reminds us that we all have a role to play in creating an environment in which everyone feels they truly belong."

Nizaar Kinsella
Football reporter

Image source, Getty Images

Former Hull City vice-chairman Tan Kesler has spoken about his departure from the club as he enjoys a new challenge with Polish side Pogon Szczecin.

Kesler was one of the prominent figures of the Acun Ilicali ownership following the 2022 takeover but left by mutual consent in October 2024.

His exit came just a few months after Hull finished just outside the play-offs, ending the season in disappointing fashion under boss Liam Rosenior, who then departed the club.

Speaking to BBC Sport, Kesler said: "My departure was quite planned. After Liam left, it became extremely tiring. My son was born in Hull, and I was trying to be a father, a good husband, and we had to reshape everything after Liam.

"It became stressful and hard to manage, and I felt I needed a break."

Kesler said other Championship clubs approached him, and he hopes one day to return to what he calls his "second home" in English football.

However, he has since taken up a role in the Ekstraklasa – Poland's first division – at Pogon, working under owner and friend Alex Haditaghi.

"Pogon Szczecin were having financial trouble, literally days away from losing their licence and entering administration," he added. "I helped with due diligence without making the commitment. But then I saw the atmosphere, the stadium, the city, the fans — regular 22,000 sell-outs (and wanted to join).

"I enjoy developing players and football philosophies. Our philosophy is the same as at Hull, play the right football, develop one player per season and sell. We've just sold a talent to Lazio — Adrian Przyborek, who struggled for minutes before we arrived. With our philosophy, he developed. We sold him for €4.5m, with a total package of €7m and a big sell‑on.

"More players are in the pipeline, and we keep promoting them while trying to be in the top five."

Pundits Ellen White and Shay Given join host Alex Scott to bring you the action and talking points from Friday and Saturday's FA Cup ties.

Watch on BBC iPlayer here

And listen back to full match commentaries on BBC Sounds:

• Hull City 0-4 Chelsea

• Wrexham 1-0 Ipswich

• Burton Albion 0-1 West Ham

• Manchester City 2-0 Salford City

• Aston Villa 1-3 Newcastle

• Liverpool 3-0 Brighton and Hove Albion

There are two ties on Friday as the FA Cup fourth round gets under way, and BBC Sport will bring you every moment.

• Hull City v Chelsea - BBC iPlayer, BBC Radio 5 Live & BBC Humberside

• Wrexham v Ipswich Town - BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra 3, BBC Radio Wales & BBC Radio Suffolk

Kick-offs 19:45 GMT

Follow all of the action and reaction here

You can also listen to today's 5 Live commentaries on most smart speakers. Just say "ask BBC Sounds to play Hull v Chelsea" or "ask BBC Sounds to play Wrexham v Ipswich".

Find out more about how to listen to football on BBC Sounds

How to follow the FA Cup fourth round on the BBC

Chelsea boss Liam Rosenior is really well thought of by Hull City fans from his time in charge there, and he is a former Tigers player as well.

So, he should get a great reception there on Friday night, but what he really needs is a win - especially after letting a two-goal lead slip against Leeds on Tuesday.

Rosenior has had some great results with Chelsea but it seems some fans aren't convinced by him. He will be desperate to prove them wrong by winning a trophy and the FA Cup is a great opportunity for him to do that this season.

Hull are going well in the Championship under Sergej Jakirovic but I just see Chelsea being too strong for them.

I scored for Chelsea against Hull in the FA Cup, many years ago. We won 6-1 that day and the Blues are going to win comfortably this time too.

Sutton's prediction: 1-4

Read the full predictions and have your say here

Image source, Opta

Hull City welcome former manager Liam Rosenior and Chelsea to the MKM Stadium in the FA Cup fourth round on Friday night (19:45 GMT).

The Tigers, finalists in 2014, lie fourth in the Championship, 19 places below the eight-time winners in the ladder, but they have won just one of their past four home games while the Blues have won four of their past five away from Stamford Bridge.

• Hull have won one of their past 35 games against Chelsea in all competitions (D8 L26), a 3-0 win in October 1988 under Eddie Gray. They have lost their past eight games against the Blues.

• Chelsea have progressed from all eight of their FA Cup ties against Hull City – it's the joint best 100% progress rate by a team against another in FA Cup history, along with Leicester City against Birmingham City.

• Hull are looking to reach the FA Cup fifth round for the first time since 2017/18. However, the Tigers have been eliminated in their last 16 ties against top-flight teams while playing outside the top-flight themselves, since a 1-0 win against West Ham in 1972/73.

• Chelsea have progressed from 62 of their past 64 FA Cup ties against sides from outside the Premier League, although both defeats in this run have been against Yorkshire teams: 1-0 vs Barnsley in 2007/08 and 4-2 vs Bradford City in 2014/15.

• Enzo Fernandez has been involved in five goals in seven FA Cup appearances for Chelsea (3 goals, 2 assists), while he has four goals and two assists in eight domestic cup appearances against sides from a lower division.

Image source, EFL

Championship leaders Middlesbrough are celebrating winning both the manager and player of the month awards for January.

Boss Kim Hellberg led Boro to five wins from their six league games last month, with them scoring 14 goals as they chased down the leaders Coventry City before overtaking them at the top of the table last weekend.

Midfielder Alan Browne won the player award, having also filled in at wing-back and scored three goals.

Philippe Clement of Norwich, Wrexham's Phil Parkinson and Derby head coach John Eustace were also nominated for the manager accolade.

Wrexham striker Sam Smith and defenders Charlie Hughes (Hull City) and Caleb Taylor (Millwall) missed out of the player award.

Middlesbrough visit second-placed Coventry in the Championship on Monday night (20:00 GMT).