FA Cup: Hull City vs Brighton & Hove Albion match preview

A look ahead to this week’s FA Cup fifth round replay at the KC Stadium

(GETTY IMAGES)

Brighton Hove & Albion, currently eighth in the Championship table will travel to the KC Stadium on Monday evening for a FA Cup fifth round replay, after the initial tie at the Amex Stadium ended in a 1-1 draw.

Since the New Year, Steve Bruce’s side have failed to win at home on three occasions having been beaten by Chelsea and Southampton and held to a 1-1 draw against Tottenham Hotspur. However Hull City’s last game at Premier League game did see the Tigers score four past a weary Cardiff defence.

Hull have scored two goals apiece in their fourth and third round fixtures against Southend United and Middlesbrough and have managed not to concede goals in the FA Cup, prior to their fifth round draw against Brighton.

Brighton have not faced back-to-back defeats this season but a defeat in the fifth round replay could change that. The team will be visiting Hull after four successive home games, the last of which was a 1-2 defeat against Wigan Athletic in the Championship.

The defeat was Brighton’s fourth home defeat of the season and it also propelled Wigan Athletic three points clear of the Seagulls in the Championship table.

With under half the season remaining, Brighton will be looking for a top six finish in the Championship while in the Premier League, Hull will be looking to consolidate themselves in a mid-table position, safe from relegation. The winner of this tie will host Sunderland in the sixth round of the FA Cup, scheduled across the weekend of 8/9 March 2014.

Kick Off: Monday 7.45pm

Past Three Meetings:

Brighton 1 (Ulloa) Hull 1 (Sagbo), FA Cup, February 2014.

Brighton 1 (Vicente) Hull 0, Championship, February 2013.

Hull 1 (Simpson) Brighton 0, Championship, August 2012.

Stats:

Hull City’s January signing Nikica Jelavic has scored three goals in six matches since singing from Everton.

Brighton Hove & Albion have not lost two games in succession this season.

Hull have scored 17 and conceded only 10 goals at home this season.

Brighton Albion & Hove have five joint-top scorers in the FA Cup, all tied on one goal each.

Hull have not won a game at home in 2014 yet.

Odds:

Hull to win: 1.81

Brighton to win: 5.5

Draw: 3.65

TV:Live on ITV4 at 7.45pm.