Hull's uphill battle at Manchester United has been made all the more difficult by the defensive crisis facing newly-appointed boss Marco Silva ahead of Tuesday's EFL Cup semi-final.
Less than a week after being announced as the surprise successor to Mike Phelan, the 39-year-old is preparing to take the Premier League's bottom side to a team on an eight-match winning streak.
As if facing Jose Mourinho's side was not enough, Silva approaches Hull's first-ever semi-final appearance in the competition with an eye-watering list of defensive issues.
The Portuguese may have got his reign off to a winning start against Swansea, but Saturday's FA Cup third-round tie laid bare their squad deficiencies as Tom Huddlestone and Jake Livermore ended the 2-0 victory in central defence.