Matchday 18's Friday night Championship clash looks like a cracker as two of the favourites for promotion lock horns at the KC Stadium.

Hull City top the table, but Derby County will leapfrog the Tigers if they can secure victory on Humberside.

Hull

Steve Bruce's Tigers were on a five-game winning streak in the Championship and had not conceded in any of those victories before Saturday's trip to face Bristol City.

Hull had never recorded six straight clean sheets in the league, and they failed to set a new record as the Robins held them to a 1-1 draw at Ashton Gate.

Still, Hull are unbeaten in 11 Championship matches, winning seven, and they are still ahead of Brighton & Hove Albion on goal difference after the Seagulls also drew with Burnley on Sunday.

That means that the top five is very congested, with only two points separating Hull and Brighton from Middlesbrough, Derby and Burnley, who all have 33 points.

Hull's ascent to the top of the table has largely been down to their stingy backline - the Tigers have conceded a league-low nine goals so far this season - and they are also unbeaten at home with six wins and two draws at the KC.

As well as tomorrow's big game against Derby, Bruce's boys also have a League Cup quarter-final to look forward to next week as they travel to face Manchester City.

Recent Championship form: WWWWWD
Recent form (all competitions): WWWWWD

Derby

After drawing four and losing one of their first five league fixtures in August, Paul Clement's Rams have got their act together in the last three months and now look primed for the promotion charge that many expected of them at the start of the campaign.

Derby have lost just once in their last 12 league games, winning nine, to soar within touching distance of the summit. They know that victory tomorrow will take them above Hull and top, if only for a day or so depending on Saturday's games involving the others in the top five.

Last Saturday they recorded their fourth win in five matches and third clean sheet in four games by seeing off Cardiff City 2-0 at the iPro Stadium.

Former Aston Villa forward Andreas Weimann sealed the win and, after failing to score in his first 11 league appearances for Derby, he has now netted in three of his last four.

Away from home, Derby have lost just once this season, but that was in their last trip when they surprisingly went down at East Midlands rivals Nottingham Forest.

Recent form: DWWWLW

Team News

Robert Snodgrass is likely to be included in Hull's matchday squad for the first time in 15 months after fully recovering from a knee injury and featuring for the Tigers' Under-21s outfit in recent weeks.

Bruce will also welcome back top-scorer Abel Hernandez after he was rested for the trip to Ashton Gate, and the Uruguayan could come straight back into the starting lineup at Chuba Akpom's expense.

Andrew Robertson and Michael Dawson are suspended, but Dawson would be missing anyway after being ruled out for a month earlier this week with a hamstring injury.

For the Rams, Bradley Johnson will have to sit out after picking up his fifth booking of the season last weekend, but Clement has plenty of options to replace the former Norwich City man. Jeff Hendrick, Craig Bryson, Chris Baird and Jamie Hanson could all come into the middle of midfield.

Defensive duo Cyrus Christie and Jason Shackell are both expected to be fit, despite picking up knocks in the win over Cardiff.

Hull possible starting lineup:
McGregor; Elmohamady, Davies, Maguire, Odubajo; Maloney, Livermore, Huddlestone, Clucas; Diame; Hernandez

Derby possible starting lineup:
Carson; Christie, Keogh, Shackell, Warnock; Thorne, Hendrick, Butterfield; Ince, Weimann; Martin

Head To Head

Hull have won five of the last six meetings with Derby and won both contests 2-1 last time they were in the same league in 2012-13.

Derby have struggled to keep Hull out in recent times, keeping just one clean sheet in their last 23 meetings with the Tigers.

We say: Hull 1-2 Derby

Hull might be unbeaten at home, but they struggled at times last week against a Bristol City side much lower down the table, and Derby could be the first team to win at the KC this season.