Hull City vs Brentford: can either side maintain their unbeaten record?

Hull City host Brentford at the MKM Stadium on Sunday, with the Tigers defending their unbeaten home record against the Bees' unbeaten away run.

The Tigers sit ninth in the Premier League table, one point behind sixth-placed Brentford, following a promising start to life back in the top flight.

However, Sergej Jakirovic's side have struggled recently, collecting just one point from their last three matches, including a disappointing 1-0 defeat to Fulham.

Speaking ahead of Sunday's clash, Jakirovic demanded a response from his players, saying: "We must be braver on Sunday," before insisting his side must "fight for every inch of the pitch."

Hull have remained resilient at the MKM Stadium, recording one win and two draws in their opening three home fixtures, keeping two clean sheets.

Meanwhile, Brentford suffered their first league defeat of the campaign last weekend, losing 2-1 to Liverpool after finishing the match with nine men.

Despite that setback, Keith Andrews's side remain unbeaten away from home, although all three of their league trips have ended in draws.

The Bees have also scored first in all seven Premier League matches this season, highlighting their attacking threat.

Historically, Brentford have enjoyed the better of recent meetings, remaining unbeaten in their last three encounters with Hull, including two emphatic 5-1 victories.

Andrews praised Sunday's opponents during his pre-match press conference, saying: "I think they've been brilliant," before highlighting their "togetherness and honesty" and describing their organisation as "very impressive."

Team news:

Hull remain without Charlie Hughes, Matt Targett, Eliot Matazo, Darko Gyabi and Ilyas Ansah through injury.

Nobel Mendy is also unavailable, although Mohamed-Ali Cho and Lucas Gourna-Douath could return after resuming training.

Jakirovic has hinted at several changes following last weekend's disappointing performance against Fulham.

Brentford will be without Yehor Yarmolyuk and Vitaly Janelt following their dismissals against Liverpool, forcing Andrews into a midfield reshuffle.

Mathias Jensen is expected to partner Mamadou Sangare, while Mikkel Damsgaard and Kevin Schade could return to the starting lineup.

Joshua Dasilva, Kaye Furo and Antoni Milambo remain sidelined, although Jannik Schuster could feature after returning to training.

Predicted lineups:

Hull City (5-4-1): Tzolakis; Coyle, Ajayi, Egan, Herrington, Giles; Belloumi, Iroegbunam, Slater, Thomas; McBurnie.

Brentford (4-2-3-1): Kelleher; Kayode, Schuster, Ajer, Lewis-Potter; Jensen, Sangare; Anthony, Damsgaard, Schade; Thiago.

With Hull determined to respond to their recent struggles and Brentford missing two influential midfielders, Sunday's encounter could be closely contested.

Both teams have proven difficult to beat in their respective home and away fixtures, making a draw a realistic possibility.