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HellBilly
Championship
Venue: KC StadiumDate: Saturday 18 AugustKick-off: 15:00 BST
TEAM NEWS
Hull striker Matty Fryatt will miss the opening game of the season with an Achilles injury so Aaron McLean is set to deputise up front.
New signing Sone Aluko has not received international clearance to play.
Brighton striker Craig Mackail-Smith missed the League Cup with a groin problem but should be fit to start.
Winger Kazenga LuaLua (hamstring) should also return and Will Buckley may shake off a hamstring injury in time for the match.
MATCH FACTS
Head-to-head
• Both last season's clashes were goalless draws.
• Brighton have not registered an away win over the Tigers for 12 years.
• Hull have avoided defeat in nine of their last 11 home league meetings with the Seagulls, and have kept clean sheets in eight of the 11.
Hull City
• Kicking off a third season outside the Premier League.
• Steve Bruce is one of five managers appointed by Championship clubs in the close season.
• Eager to avoid a fifth opening day league defeat in seven seasons.
Brighton & Hove Albion
• 10th last season was the Seagulls' highest league finish in 21 years.
• Gus Poyet's men, who lost 3-0 away to League One Swindon in the Capital One Cup midweek, collected 16 points from the first 18 available last term.
• Drawn 499 away league games and scored 1997 league goals on the road in their history, but not won on their league travels since 11 February.
Matty Fryatt will miss out for Hull after sustaining an Achilles injury in the Capital One Cup penalty shootout win over Rotherham last weekend.
The striker is expected to be replaced in Steve Bruce's starting line-up by Aaron Mclean.
Sone Aluko, a summer signing from Rangers, must wait a little longer for his competitive Tigers debut as the club are still without international clearance, but new Swiss goalkeeper Eldin Jakupovic has been cleared to play and should be included in the squad.
Bruce, who has no other new injury or suspension worries, must decide whether to include son Alex on the substitutes' bench again, while fellow summer signings Ben Amos, Abdoulaye Faye and £2.6million signing from German side SC Paderborn, Nick Proschwitz, are all hoping to make their league debuts for the Tigers.
Craig Mackail-Smith and Kazenga LuaLua should return to the Brighton squad.
Striker Mackail-Smith missed Tuesday's Capital One Cup defeat at Swindon with a groin problem and winger LuaLua had a tight hamstring, but Gus Poyet says both are available.
Wideman Will Buckley is also close to shaking off his hamstring trouble but Poyet is not expected to risk him just yet.
Forward Will Hoskins is still sidelined with the broken foot he suffered during pre-season.
Goalkeeper Tomasz Kuszczak and full-backs Bruno and Wayne Bridge will be handed their league debuts after making their first competitive appearances in midweek, while Adam El-Abd is pushing to return at centre-half after being left on the bench at the County Ground
Venue: KC StadiumDate: Saturday 18 AugustKick-off: 15:00 BST
TEAM NEWS
Hull striker Matty Fryatt will miss the opening game of the season with an Achilles injury so Aaron McLean is set to deputise up front.
New signing Sone Aluko has not received international clearance to play.
Brighton striker Craig Mackail-Smith missed the League Cup with a groin problem but should be fit to start.
Winger Kazenga LuaLua (hamstring) should also return and Will Buckley may shake off a hamstring injury in time for the match.
MATCH FACTS
Head-to-head
• Both last season's clashes were goalless draws.
• Brighton have not registered an away win over the Tigers for 12 years.
• Hull have avoided defeat in nine of their last 11 home league meetings with the Seagulls, and have kept clean sheets in eight of the 11.
Hull City
• Kicking off a third season outside the Premier League.
• Steve Bruce is one of five managers appointed by Championship clubs in the close season.
• Eager to avoid a fifth opening day league defeat in seven seasons.
Brighton & Hove Albion
• 10th last season was the Seagulls' highest league finish in 21 years.
• Gus Poyet's men, who lost 3-0 away to League One Swindon in the Capital One Cup midweek, collected 16 points from the first 18 available last term.
• Drawn 499 away league games and scored 1997 league goals on the road in their history, but not won on their league travels since 11 February.
Matty Fryatt will miss out for Hull after sustaining an Achilles injury in the Capital One Cup penalty shootout win over Rotherham last weekend.
The striker is expected to be replaced in Steve Bruce's starting line-up by Aaron Mclean.
Sone Aluko, a summer signing from Rangers, must wait a little longer for his competitive Tigers debut as the club are still without international clearance, but new Swiss goalkeeper Eldin Jakupovic has been cleared to play and should be included in the squad.
Bruce, who has no other new injury or suspension worries, must decide whether to include son Alex on the substitutes' bench again, while fellow summer signings Ben Amos, Abdoulaye Faye and £2.6million signing from German side SC Paderborn, Nick Proschwitz, are all hoping to make their league debuts for the Tigers.
Craig Mackail-Smith and Kazenga LuaLua should return to the Brighton squad.
Striker Mackail-Smith missed Tuesday's Capital One Cup defeat at Swindon with a groin problem and winger LuaLua had a tight hamstring, but Gus Poyet says both are available.
Wideman Will Buckley is also close to shaking off his hamstring trouble but Poyet is not expected to risk him just yet.
Forward Will Hoskins is still sidelined with the broken foot he suffered during pre-season.
Goalkeeper Tomasz Kuszczak and full-backs Bruno and Wayne Bridge will be handed their league debuts after making their first competitive appearances in midweek, while Adam El-Abd is pushing to return at centre-half after being left on the bench at the County Ground