Hull v Wigan

Venue: KC Stadium
Date: Saturday, 30 August Kick-off: 1500 BST
Coverage: BBC Sport website, BBC Radio Five Live, Score & highlights on Match of the Day

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Hull midfielder George Boateng (thigh) is set to miss out and striker Marlon King, on loan from Wigan, is ineligible to play against his parent club.

Veteran forward Dean Windass could start, while Ian Ashbee, Andy Dawson and Geovanni have all overcome slight knocks to be available for selection.

Wigan keeper Chris Kirkland should be fit but midfielders Paul Scharner and Jason Koumas (both ankle) are doubts.

Striker Henri Camara is pushing for a place in the starting line-up.

Hull (from): Myhill, Ricketts, Turner, Gardner, Dawson, Garcia, Ashbee, Barmby, Geovanni, Fagan, Halmosi, Folan, Windass, Mendy, Marney, Duke, Brown, Boateng, Hughes, France.

Wigan (from): Kirkland, Melchiot, Boyce, Scharner, Figueroa, Valencia, Cattermole, Palacios, Kapo, Heskey, Zaki, Bramble, Brown, De Ridder, Kilbane, Koumas, Taylor, Camara, Sibierski, Montrose, Nash, Pollitt.

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Hull City boss Phil Brown:
"Dean Windass just wants to play football. I gave him that opportunity at Swansea on Tuesday.

"He said to me he just wants to score goals and he has done that, so he is ticking all the boxes.

"Do I repay him with a start against Wigan? The answer to that will remain to be seen."

Wigan manager Steve Bruce:
"I think Chris Kirkland should be okay for the Hull game.

"He had a spasm while we were away in pre-season and it tightens up and stiffens up a bit, but we don't think it is anything too serious so with a bit of TLC he will be fine.

"He has been to see specialists and we're okay with him. He's comfortable with the whole situation at the moment so we don't think there is really anything to unduly worry us."

BIG-MATCH FACTS

Hull City have made an unbeaten start to their first ever season of top-flight football.

Wigan Athletic are in grave danger of losing their first three matches of a Premier League season for the first time ever.

Phil Brown's Tigers have come from behind in both their games. Last season they failed to pick up any victories from the 21 Championship matches in which they conceded the opening goal.

These clubs had contrasting fortunes in the Carling Cup on Tuesday night; Hull lost 2-1 after extra time, away to Championship new boys Swansea, while Wigan breezed to a 4-0 home win over League Two Notts County.

Distance between the clubs: 107 miles (173 kilometres)

CLUB FORM

HULL CITY

Club stats

4th 4 points
Last season finish: 3rd Ch'ship 75 points and Play-off winners

2008-09 Premier League performance

1. Four points out of six represents the best start of the five clubs whose first taste of top-flight football in their history was in the Premier League; Swindon, Barnsley, Wigan and Reading being the others.

2. Lost only one of their last 19 home league games; 1-3 against West Brom on 12 January.

3. Undefeated in 10 league games at the KC Stadium (won seven, drawn three).

Fixtures

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WIGAN ATHLETIC

Club stats

19th 0 points
Last season finish: 14th 40 points

2008-09 Premier League performance

1. Lost their last three Premier League matches; against Manchester United (last season), West Ham and Chelsea.

2. Not managed a clean sheet in three league games, having kept eight in the previous 13 outings.

3. Only registered two away league wins last season; against Derby and Aston Villa.

4. Won one of the last eight Premier League games on the road; at Villa Park.

Fixtures

KEY PLAYER NOTES

HULL CITY

Ins and Outs

Nick BARMBY needs a hat-trick to reach 100 club career goals.

If he plays:-

ANDY DAWSON will be making his 350th career league appearance (Nottingham Forest, Scunthorpe and Hull).

IAN ASHBEE will be making his 400th career league appearance (Derby, Cambridge United and Hull).

CRAIG FAGAN will be making his 200th career league appearance (Birmingham, Bristol City, Colchester, Hull and Derby).

Dean WINDASS will make his 100th career Premier League appearance (Bradford City and Middlesbrough).

WINDASS will be taking the field at the age of 39 years 151 days. The oldest outfield player to grace the Premier League was West Ham's Teddy Sheringham at 40 years 270 days, and the oldest ever player in this league was Manchester City goalkeeper John Burridge at 43 years 163 days.

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WIGAN ATHLETIC

Ins and Outs

Emile HESKEY is a double shy of 100 career Premier League goals (Leicester, Liverpool, Birmingham and Wigan).

If selected:-

Antoine SIBIERSKI will be making his 150th career Premier League appearance (Manchester City, Newcastle and Wigan).

If on the field from the outset:-

Emmerson BOYCE will be making his 300th career league start (Luton, Crystal Palace and Wigan).

Mario MELCHIOT will be making his 250th start for an English club (Chelsea, Birmingham and Wigan).

HEAD TO HEAD

This is the first meeting of Hull and Wigan since the 1996-97 season, when they were both fourth tier clubs.

Wigan have not beaten the Tigers in a league game since 1993.

Hull won 0-1 when they last met the Latics in the second round of the Carling Cup at the JJB Stadium on 28 August 2007.

Home and away
League (inc PL): Hull 4 wins, Wigan 3, Draws 5
Prem: Hull 0 wins, Wigan 0, Draws 0

at Hull only
League (inc PL): Hull 2 wins, Wigan 1, Draws 3
Prem: Hull 0 wins, Wigan 0, Draws 0

REFEREE

Mike Jones (Cheshire)

Premier League referees' table

Mike Jones is making his debut as a Premier League referee.

Source - BBC Sport