The French striker is far and away Sunderland’s main goal threat this season. He has 12 Championship goals to his name, with his nearest challenger sitting on 4. A major part of the gameplan is to get the ball to him in the final 3rd. Isidor is no stranger to working the goalkeeper, and clearly often winning those respective battles. It is therefore no shock to say he tops the squad list in terms of most shots on target, as well as shots in general.

He has recorded at least 1 shot on target in each of his previous 11 appearances for the club. In 4 of those, he would hit 2 or more, including in Sunderland’s last match when losing away at Leeds. Facing a Hull side battling against relegation, he should have sufficient opportunities to continue in a similar vein of form.

Sunderland might have the 4th-strongest defensive record in the Championship but cracks have started to appear recently in that respect. Across their previous 5 league fixtures, they have conceded 2 or more goals in 4 of them. This will afford hope of Hull contributing to the goal tally, particularly as they’ve won 3 of their previous 4 away league contests.

In fact, the Tigers have found the back of the net in 7 of their last 8 encounters in all competitions. For all that they may be battling against relegation, they will travel to Sunderland knowing they can have an impact in this clash. The home side may have an unbeaten home league record but they’ve won just 3 of their last 8 in all competitions overall, so are anything but bulletproof at this moment.

Hull’s xGA is within the top-10 worst in the Championship this season. This is 1 obvious reason why they are sitting just above the relegation zone. Therefore, they can be expected to come under some considerable pressure on their own goal facing a Sunderland team with hopes of making automatic promotion.

Over the league campaign, Hull’s goalkeeper has been forced to make an average of 2.70 saves per game. When they come up against the stronger clubs in the division, that number tends to increase. City have conceded 4 or more shots on their own goal v the likes of Leeds twice, Burnley twice, Sheffield United, as well as play-off hopefuls Middlesbrough twice, Coventry and Norwich.

Also, Sunderland are ranked 3rd in the Championship for highest average shots on target per match with 4.60. Only Leeds and Middlesbrough have managed more.

Patrick Roberts may be lacking goals and assists in recent times but he continues to be regularly selected in the starting XI, and for good reason. His ability to carry the ball over distance and to beat opposing players with his skill makes him very difficult to stop. Hull left back Sean McLaughlin, who is more of a centre back by trade, is set for a difficult afternoon.

Across his last 5 appearances, Roberts has been fouled on average 1.00 times per match by the opposition. In the early season meeting against Hull, which Sunderland won 1-0, and the tricky winger was fouled twice. Something similar could easily happen here.

Hull may not collect too many yellow cards but they are in the top-10 at this level for highest average fouls committed with 12.0 per game.

Sunderland shocked everyone by signing Enzo Le Fée in the January transfer window. Although he has worked successfully with Régis Le Bris before, luring him to the Championship is some going by the Black Cats. He has certainly made an immediate impression at the Stadium of Light. The Roma loanee has started all 7 games, with his highlight being his goal in the 2-0 home win against Luton. The attacker is averaging 1.57 shots and his tricky skills and close control make it tough for opponents to dislodge the ball off him.

Le Fée is just the type of player that is able to win fouls for his team, and rather routinely. The recently turned 25-year-old is being fouled on average 1.43 times per game since joining the club. In 2 of the last 3 games, he has been hauled down on 3 occasions, including the last match against Leeds. This is clearly an individual opponent managers look to target, as keeping him quiet will make Sunderland weaker all-round.

The former Brighton & Hove Albion midfielder has successfully worked his way into the Hull midfield after initially taking some time to settle into his new surroundings. He is very much 1 of the first names on Rubén Sellés’ team sheet. He is mainly seen as more of a defensive player at the club.

Alzate has started 13 matches in all competitions in a Tigers shirt and only in 3 of those has he failed to commit a single foul. The Columbian is currently on a 7-match streak of producing a foul, so it’d be a shock if he failed to continue that here. After all, Hull are battling relegation and are facing 1 of the top teams in Sunderland, who are unbeaten at home. Alzate will surely be called upon defensively on numerous occasions and will surely commit a couple of fouls on the day.

23 of Sunderland’s 33 Championship fixtures this season have contained a goal inside the 1st half. They are a team that like to be aggressive and on the front foot in the early stages if possible, certainly if facing a side like Hull at home, who are near the bottom of the table. Sunderland will also be hurting given how they lost the Leeds match, so a positive reaction is anticipated. Also, 24 of their 33 league battles have featured a 2nd half goal. Given their last 5 games have averaged 3.60 goals, a goal in each half would be no shock here.

As for Hull, they’re currently on a 4-match run where a goal arrived within the opening 45 minutes. All bar 5 of their league encounters have contained a 2nd half goal, too. All of City’s previous 8 matches in all competitions have contained 2 or more goals, and something similar at the very least should continue here. Doing so again would raise hopes of seeing another match feature a goal in the 1st and 2nd halves.

Sunderland may be the favourites here and rightly so, but Hull can and should make this competitive. The visitors are certainly not here to make up the numbers, especially as they won 3 recent away games. It is clear they have issues at MKM Stadium given they hold the worst home record in the division, plus they recently won 3-0 at Sheffield United, who are in the top-2.

Sunderland are 4th in the league but are rarely 1 to really dominate in terms of the team. In fact, only once in league action have they managed to completely overcome a -2 handicap, which was when beating Sheffield Wednesday 4-0 at home back in August.

Also, since Sellés has been in charge at Hull, they have only once in 12 failed to successfully cover a +2 handicap, which was in losing 2-0 to Burnley. The Tigers last lost by a 3-goal or more margin in October. With Sunderland conceding more goals recently, it further raises hopes of Hull offering a sufficient challenge.