Round nine is brought to a close at the AJ Bell stadium as both sides look to push for a top five position.
TEAM FORM GUIDE
Salford Red Devilsย
Salford sit one place above Hull in fifth, however the Red Devils have played one game more.
Salford started the season strongly including an impressive 46-0 away win at Catalans, but Ian Watson’s side have lost their last three matches since.
Hull FC
Hull were embarrassed last week after a 63-12 hammering by Warrington.
Lee Radford’s side have won their last three away matches and only have lost two of their last six.
SQUAD NEWS
Salford Red Devils
Salford make two changes to their 19-man squad as Daniel Murray and Adam Lawton are replaced by Tyrone McCarthy and Ben Nakubuwai.
Former Black and White Jansin Turgut is set to face his old club.
Turgut made 30 appearances during his spell with the East Yorkshire side, scoring four times.
Salford 19-man squad:ย Evalds, Chamberlain, Welham, Sau, Bibby, Lui, Dudson, Jones, Griffin, Flanagan, Lussick, Walker, Burke, McCarthy, Nakubuwai, Olpherts, Turgut, Inu, Hastings
Hull FC
Gareth Ellis returns to the squad after missing out last week.
Jamie Shaul is out for the second week in a row after suffering from concussion at London, so 18 year old Connor Wynne is in contention for his debut with Masi Matongo ruled out with a shoulder injury.
Jack Logan returns to the squad after a loan spell with Toronto.
Hakim Milloudi has gone out on an initial month loan to the Canadian side, however it is likely that he has made his final appearance for Hull.
Hull FC 19-man squad:ย Faraimo, Tuimavave, Griffin, Kelly, Sneyd, Taylor, Houghton, Hadley, Minichiello, Westerman, Manu, Lane, Paea, Logan, Litten, Washbrook, Ellis, Savelio, Wynne
HEAD TO HEAD
Last season the sides met twice with the home side winning on both occasions.
Salford ran out 24-8 winners in March but Hull was impressive in the reverse leg, they surged into a 37-0 lead at half time which gave the visitors a comfortable victory, however the star of the show that day was Jake Connor, who is expected to return for the Hull derby.
In the last four meetings at the AJ Bell stadium, Hull have won three of those matches. They will be hoping to continue their strong record against the Red Devils.
KEY BATTLE
Jackson Hastings (Salford Red Devils) v Albert Kelly (Hull FC)
Jackson Hastings had a huge impact on Super League at the end of last season and has been a big part of the Salford side this campaign so far. The 23-year old has nine assists to his name as he continues to impress. His style of play compliments Robert Lui as he isn’t forced to attack the line.
Jackson Hastings, Salford Red Devils. Photo credit: Salford Red Devils official twitter.Albert Kelly is similar to Hastings in the sense of he attacks the line and has a halfback in Marc Sneyd who is more focused on the long kicking game. He was poor against Warrington, but the whole side was. He stuck to his guns and reaped the rewards as he scored just before the interval.
Albert Kelly, Hull FC. Photo credit: Getty Images.THE IMPORTANT DETAILS
Date: Sunday April 7
Venue: AJ Bell Stadium
Kick-off: 3:00 PM
Referee:ย Gareth Hewer
WHO WILL WIN?
Hull performed poorly last week against a top side in Warrington, meanwhile three defeats in a row for Salford puts them in a bad place. Both sides have shown impressive performances but not consistently. It will be close and could go either way, but I am going for a away win as Hull have been strong away from home this year.
