Everton will be hoping to end their poor run of form with a victory away at Hull City in the third round of the FA Cup on Saturday evening.

The Tigers and the Toffees last faced each other in the FA Cup back in 1963-64, when the latter secured a 2-1 win in a third round replay.

Match preview

After an impressive six-game unbeaten league run, including four successive victories in November, helped Hull City climb out of the Championship relegation zone, the Tigers have since suffered back-to-back away defeats against Nottingham Forest and Blackpool.

A 2-1 loss at The City Ground was followed by a narrow 1-0 defeat at Bloomfield Road on New Year's Day, which has seen Grant McCann's men move back to within four points of the drop zone having played a game more than 22nd-placed Peterborough United.

Hull now turn their attention to the FA Cup, a competition in which they have struggled against top-tier opposition. The East Riding of Yorkshire-based outfit are winless in 18 FA Cup matches against Premier League opponents while playing outside the top-flight themselves.

After progressing from the third round of England's most prestigious cup competition just once in 12 years between 1989-90 and 2010-11, the Tigers have since advanced from seven of their last nine at this stage, including a 3-2 win the last time they played in the third round against Rotherham United in 2019-20.

Hull may fancy their chances of reaching the fourth round once again as they prepare to lock horns with an out-of-form Everton side who they are unbeaten against in three of their last four home meetings.

While Everton are currently sitting eight points clear of the Premier League's relegation zone, Toffees supporters will be far from impressed with their team's performances so far this season, winning only five of their 19 league matches this term.

Rafael Benitez has come under scrutiny in recent weeks and the Spaniard's task on Merseyside has not got any easier following last weekend's 3-2 home defeat against Brighton & Hove Albion.

The one positive that Everton can take from Sunday's loss was the impressive display by academy graduate Anthony Gordon, who managed to score both goals for the hosts midway through the second half.

Everton head into Saturday's FA Cup tie after winning only one of their last 12 matches across all competitions this season. However, they have won four of their last seven games against Hull, all in the Premier League between 2010 and 2017, with the last meeting a 4-0 home win for the Toffees.

The three-time FA Cup winners, who have not lifted the trophy since 1994-95, will be hoping to build on reaching the quarter-finals last season and they will be confident of advancing to the fourth round against Championship opposition despite their miserable form.

Team News

McCann has confirmed that Hull will be without Mallik Wilks (metatarsal), Josh Magennis (hamstring) and Callum Elder (groin) due to injury.

However, the Tigers boss all revealed that Matt Ingram, Tom Huddlestone and Will Jarvis are all back in contention this weekend after spells on the sidelines.

McCann is expected to name the strongest possible starting lineup that he can on Saturday, with the likes of George Honeyman and top goalscorer Keane Lewis-Potter – who has five strikes to his name this term – set to start.

As for Everton, Richarlison, Yerry Mina, Tom Davies and Andros Townsend are four injury concerns for Benitez, while Jarrad Branthwaite and Fabian Delph are both minor doubts with knocks and will be assessed ahead of kickoff.

The Toffees will also be without winger Alex Iwobi who is away on international duty with Nigeria for the Africa Cup of Nations.

Benitez could hand debuts to his January signings Vitaliy Mykolenko and Nathan Patterson, the latter moving to Goodison Park from Rangers on Tuesday.

With Dominic Calvert-Lewin unlikely to be risked, having just returning from a four-month spell on the sidelines, Salomon Rondon is expected to lead the line, while Allan, Andre Gomes and Jean-Philippe Gbamin could also start in centre-midfield.

Hull City possible starting lineup:
Ingram; Bernard, McLoughlin, Greaves; Longman, Smallwood, Docherty, Lewis-Potter; Honeyman; Wilks, T. Smith

Everton possible starting lineup:
Begovic; Coleman, Holgate, Godfrey, Mykolenko; Gordon, Gomes, Allan, Gbamin, Gray; Rondon

We say: Hull City 1-2 Everton

While Everton's morale will be at an all-time low, Benitez will view Saturday's fixture against lower league opposition as the perfect opportunity to turn the club's fortunes around.

Even with a few first-team regulars set to be given a rest, the Toffees should do enough to seal a slender victory at the MKM Stadium.

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