Hull City rocked by major injury blow ahead of Sunderland clash as key player ruled out for three months

The Tigers host Tony Mowbray’s side on Saturday knowing a win could put daylight between themselves and the teams in the relegation zone. However, they will have to do that without key man Dimitrios Pelkas following the news that the 29 year old has been ruled out of action for up to three months.

Pelkas sustained a knee injury following a collision with Watford midfielder Hamza Choudhury during their goalless draw on Sunday. Since joining from Fenerbahce in the summer, Pelkas has notched two goals and one assist in the league.

Pelkas joins fellow attackers Allahyar Sayyadmanesh and Benjamin Tetteh on the sidelines at the MKM Stadium as Liam Rosenior’s side continue their battle with an ongoing injury crisis. Greg Docherty, who replaced Pelkas at Vicarage Road, also suffered a dead leg during Sunday’s game.

Hull owner Acun Ilicali bemoaned his side’s luck with injuries this campaign, telling Sky Sports: "We are not in the position that we are deserving of.

"We got 13 injuries in the beginning of the season, and now we only have four or five injuries. But then when the game started (at Watford) we lost Pelkas in the eighth minute - he's injured now for three months. The injury clouds are over us all of the time.

"I would say that the team is good, the players are high quality, the fans are fantastic but the only thing we need is to get our injured players back."