Rotherham vs Hull prediction: ENGLAND: Championship betting tips on match 2024-02-12 19:45.
Rotherham United moved one week closer to ending their two-season stay in the Championship with a 3-0 loss away to Leeds United that saw them end Round 31 with a worrying 12-point gap to safety. That’s despite a change of management in December to new manager Leam Richardson, who has now lost seven of his 11 games in charge across all competitions (W1, D3).
Richardson, a self-professed lifelong Leeds fan from West Yorkshire, hailed a “terrific” start from his players despite them conceding within the first ten minutes for a second consecutive game. Consequently, his side became the first team of this Championship season to concede the opening goal 19 times, with their appalling record when doing so (D4, L15) underlining the importance of landing the first blow.
There was perhaps no better example of how poorly Rotherham can start than when Hull City blitzed their way to a 3-0 lead within 20 minutes of the reverse fixture, which extended their unbeaten competitive run against Rotherham to seven games (W5, D2). But Hull were anything but sharp at the weekend when recording just three shots on target at home to bottom-half club Swansea (L 1-0), dropping out of the top six as a result.
It was “one of the few times” they deserved a loss, according to boss Liam Rosenior who will make his first trip to Rotherham as a manager. The loss to Swansea was yet another reminder that no opposition can be taken for granted, as were Hull’s away losses to relegation candidates Sheffield Wednesday (3-1 in January) and QPR (2-0 in December). Similarly, they’re yet to win a Championship game as away favourites this season (D1, L3), suggesting the players tend to feel the weight of expectations in front of hostile crowds.
Players to watch: Rotherham striker Jordan Hugill could be set to continue his lengthy dry streak against Hull, having played them eight times without scoring a single goal. Hull’s Ozan Tufan struck against Rotherham last season, but could be more likely to see yellow after being booked in four of his last eight competitive appearances.
Hot streak: Hull’s last 13 Championship games produced a winner, starting with the previous H2H. The favourites of the day won just five of those 13.