Hull City v Tottenham preview

19 August 2009 10:00
Hull City will be looking to bounce back from an agonising defeat to Chelsea when they take on a Tottenham side that made a winning start to the season. Phil Brown's Tigers produced a spirited performance at Stamford Bridge on Saturday and took the lead through Stephen Hunt before a Didier Drogba double clinched a 2-1 win for the Blues. Drogba's second goal came deep into stoppage time but Brown could still take plenty of positives from the clash and will now be desperate for his men to pick up three points in their opening home game of 2009/10. Brown will have to make at least one change after Dean Marney picked up a knee problem against Chelsea which is expected to sideline him for a couple of weeks. USA striker Jozy Altidore is again unlikely to make his debut as his return from last week's international duty continues to be held up by red tape. Forward Craig Fagan is not yet back in full training after a hernia operation in the summer, while Jimmy Bullard is a long-term absentee. The Tigers also confirmed this week that Ian Ashbee had suffered a setback in his recovery from a posterior cruciate ligament injury and may not return for another nine months. Tottenham newsTottenham will be hoping to build on their impressive 2-1 victory over title hopefuls Liverpool at White Hart Lane on Sunday. The result gave Harry Redknapp's men more points from one game than they achieved from their first eight last season. They will be confident of claiming another success at the KC Stadium against a side they beat 3-0 less than weeks ago in the Asia Trophy. Ledley King's troublesome knee means he is unlikely to play for a second time in a week, so Vedran Corluka could move across to centre-back with either Alan Hutton or Kyle Naughton slotting in at right-back. Jonathan Woodgate (groin) and Michael Dawson (Achilles) are still out, while Gareth Bale is also missing with a foot problem and Jermaine Jenas (calf) is doubtful. Redknapp opted for Robbie Keane and Jermain Defoe up front against Liverpool but may decide to tinker with his strike-force and bring in either Peter Crouch or Roman Pavlyuchenko. Possible starting XIsHull City: Myhill, Mouyokolo, Turner, Dawson, Gardner, Mendy, Boateng, Olofinjana, Hunt, Geovanni, Folan. Tottenham: Gomes, Hutton, Corluka, Bassong, Assou-Ekotto, Lennon, Huddlestone, Palacios, Modric, Crouch, Defoe.

Source: SKY_Sports