Team news for the Premier League match between Hull City and Swansea City at the KC at 3pm on Saturday, December 20, 2014Hull city team news
Steve Bruce's options for the visit of Swansea have been stripped to the bare bones with Michael Dawson and Tom Huddlestone both ruled out for the rest of 2014.
Dawson suffered a torn hamstring last weekend at Chelsea and scans have revealed the defender could be missing for up to five weeks.
Huddlestone's straight red card for a lunge on Filipe Luis, on top of a fifth booking of the season, leaves him banned for four games. The midfielder misses the match with Swansea, as well as the games against Sunderland, Leicester and Everton.
With Mohamed Diame injured for another month with a knee injury and Hatem Ben Arfa no longer under consideration, Bruce is left with a badly diminished squad.
Son Alex is the most likely to return to a three-man defence alongside James Chester and Curtis Davies, while Stephen Quinn leads a queue of midfielders lining up to replace Huddlestone.
Abel Hernandez may again have to accept a place on the bench behind Sone Aluko and Nikica Jelavic.
Robert Snodgrass, injured since the opening day with a dislocated knee, completes City's list of absentees.Possible Hull City:McGregor; Chester, Bruce, Davies; Elmohamady, Meyler, Livermore, Quinn, Robertson; Aluko, Jelavic. Subs Jakupovic, Rosenior, Maguire, Brady, Ramirez, Sagbo, Hernandez. Swansea team news
Goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski returns to the Swansea side to give Garry Monk a pre-Christmas boost.
Fabianski has impressed in his first season but was forced to miss last weekend's 2-1 defeat to Tottenham with a one-match ban.
The Poland international will replace Gerhard Tremmel in goal as Swansea travel to East Yorkshire with an almost full-strength squad.
Unlike their hosts, the Swans are enjoying a spell of good injury fortune ahead of the festive programme.
First-choice centre-back Federico Fernandez has been out since early November with a calf problem but could come back in this weekend.
Fernandez, who arrived from Napoli in the summer after playing for Argentina at the World Cup, had been a regular in defence but Monk may yet opt to continue with Kyle Bartley, who has done a steady job alongside Ashley Williams in central defence.
There is a pretty settled feel to the Swansea side and their strength lies in their attacking foursome.
Behind top goalscorer Wilfried Bony are an interchanging three of Wayne Routledge, Gylfi Sigurdsson and Jefferson Montero. Between them, they have netted 13 goals this season.Possible Swansea: Fabianski; Rangel, Williams, Bartley, Taylor; Routledge, Ki, Britton, Montero; Sigurdsson, Bony. Subs: Tremmel, Richards, Fernandez, Shelvey, Dyer, Carroll, Gomis.Players to watch
The absence of one-time captain Michael Dawson, ruled out until next month with a hamstring injury, will thrust Alex Bruce back into the Hull City defence and his first challenge will be as demanding as any he might face this season.Wilfried Bony is a man in fine touch this season. Although he was slow to get off the mark, it is now eight goals in his last 10 appearances for the Ivory Coast international. A powerful and physical threat that brings Swansea's dangerous wide men into play, Bony also has a clinical eye for goal if afforded space in the penalty area. City performed well with a three-man defence at Chelsea and Bruce is expected to win a first start in two months alongside James Chester and Curtis Davies.Form guide
One win in their last five games has punctured some of the momentum felt after beating Arsenal with a brilliant comeback at the start of November and the last two fixtures, albeit unluckily, have ended in defeats to West Ham and Spurs. Swansea have been too dependent on their home games this season and their only away win to date came on the opening weekend at Manchester United. Since that victory it has been just two points from 18 on the road as they head to the KC.
