Hull City v Plymouth Argyle: Ruben Selles shows the direction as two miserable records collide

Hosts Hull have the worst home record in this season's Championship, visitors Plymouth Argyle the worst away record, which is why both are mired in a relegation battle.

But the second-bottom Pilgrims are more stubborn defensively under Miron Muslic than his predecessor Wayne Rooney, and will draw level on points with Hull – who are 21st – if they can record a first away league win since victory at Rotherham United last April.

Only Luton Town have scored fewer Championship goals than Hull's 33 in 34 games this season. Their 17 in 17 is the worst at home.

So coach Selles has spent the clear week created by Plymouth's FA Cup run to work on making his side get the ball forward quicker.

"We did a lot of good things in (the previous game, a 1-0 defeat at Cardiff City) but we missed some moments where we can be more vertical (playing the ball forwards, rather than sideways) and more aggressive in our approach in possession,” he says.

"If we want to create more situations to score goals, that's what we should do. We should be in our structure – the structure we decide to use in the game – and we should be more active in threatening the (opposition) back line."

A "very uncomfortable" facial injury picked up in training could possibly take Matt Crooks’ goals out of Tuesday’s equation.

"When you win 1-0 against Sunderland away from home (as the Tigers did two weekends ago), it's not an issue," says Selles about his side's lack of potency in front of goal. "It's only an issue when you lose a game like the Cardiff game.

"I think the team has the goals, the problem wasn’t scoring or not scoring the goals, it was creating that final pass or final situation, that threat into the opposition box. I don't think we threatened the opposition goal enough in the Cardiff game.

"The only way we can do it is by increasing the number of situations in and around the opposition box."

Selles appreciates how well organised Muslic sides can be, but hopes Plymouth's record weighs more heavily on the Pilgrims than Hull's does on them. Argyle won away in the FA Cup at Premier League Brentford in January, and gave a good account of themselves before Manchester City came from behind to beat them on Saturday.

"I know Muslic from his time at Cercle Brugge,” says Selles. “He was only a couple of years there but he managed to put the team in the top six in the Belgian league with a very precise and concrete style of play.

"Now you can see the (Plymouth) team is organised in a different way than with Wayne Rooney. They are organised, very clear in the idea they have, very generous in terms of the team effort when they sit in a low block, as they did for example against Manchester City, (and) difficult to break down when they have transitions.

"(Mustapha) Bundu was a player I coached some years ago (as Copenhagen's assistant manager), He is good in the space trying to get the opportunities and then, when they get set plays around the box as they did against City, they try to score from those moments.

"I think their identity is very clear, they are a competitive team for the level and as much as they have not been able to win away from home, I know they have been able to win football matches at home.

"Everyone has their own history and I think they will come into the game trying to break their (away) record as we will come into the game trying to break our own (home) record.

"But they haven’t won a (league) game away from home and that creates doubts.

"For us, it's very important to have our identity and to keep doing the things that in some moments since we have been together have been successful.

"It's very important to be very organised but at the same time be very focussed on how do we break them down and use the situations we have created on the training ground.

"You can make the narrative for the game the way that you want. The reality is both teams need three points and they're going to be fighting for those three points."

Although Hull have lost Eliot Matrazo – for the season – and Aston Villa loanee Louie Barry to injury, the return of former Huddersfield Town midfielder Kasey Palmer promises to be significant, and could mitigate Crooks’ absence if the cuts to his face rule him out.

"Kasey Palmer is back in training and potentially will be available to us," says Selles. "Steven (Alzate) is okay to start if I decide.

"Kasey is a very important player for the group, for the team, for the club, knows the division and has played in a relegation battle before, has scored goals, can make things happen and we missed him during the last couple of months.

"He's also great to have around."