Following their relegation from the Championship in the 2019-20 season, Hull City made an immediate return to the second tier, as they topped League One last campaign with an impressive tally of 89 points.
As a result, Grant McCann leads his side into the new Championship campaign with the momentum of a promotion, and the aim of surviving the drop this time around.
The Tigers had the perfect start to the season as they overturned an early one-goal deficit to thrash Preston North End 4-1 away from home, with Keane Lewis-Potter, Richie Smallwood, Josh Magennis and Andy Cannon all getting on the scoresheet after Emil Riis Jakobsen had given the hosts an early lead.
They then suffered a somewhat disappointing cup defeat, losing in a penalty shootout to third-tier Wigan Athletic after goals from Lewis-Potter and Stephen Humphrys saw the game finish 1-1.
While McCann will have hoped for a reaction on Saturday, as they hosted Queens Park Rangers in Championship action, that did not go to plan, as an early strike from Chris Willock meant the Hoops led throughout and second-half goals from Lyndon Dykes and Robert Dickie sealed an emphatic 3-0 win.
The Tigers will now be keen to bounce back with a league win as they take on a Derby County side who are battling through major squad issues.
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The Rams avoided relegation on the final day of last season, following a 3-3 draw with Sheffield Wednesday to send the Owls down to League One instead, but that has certainly not preserved their second-tier status for many years to come, as they face another uphill battle this season.
Ongoing disciplinary rulings mean Wayne Rooney’s side headed into this season in somewhat of a transfer embargo, only being allowed to sign free agents, meaning they head in with a particularly thin squad following wholesale departures over the summer.
They fought against the odds to earn a point on the opening day though, as Curtis Davies opened the scoring against Huddersfield Town before Naby Sarr equalised on the stroke of half time to see the game end 1-1
