Hull FC vs Leeds Rhinos Predictions: Martin to star in battle of strugglers

Leeds Rhinos need a win, Hull FC need a win even more, so it promises to be another painful Sunday afternoon for one of these struggling sides at the MKM Stadium (kick-off 15:00 BST, live on Sky Sports Action).

The Rhinos suffered a humbling home defeat by Huddersfield Giants last week and have won just once in five games, but they travel to face a Hull outfit without a coach or any kind of form at the wrong end of the Betfred Super League table. My Hull FC vs Leeds Rhinos predictions will take into account the malaise of both teams right now.

Team news

Hull have Simon Grix in interim charge again after their bid to coax Paul Rowley from Salford Red Devils failed this week. Grix makes five changes to his team which was thumped 58-0 at St Helens last Friday night in front of watching Director of Rugby Richie Myler for the first time.

Ligi Sao and Jack Brown have both completed their bans so come straight back in, while full-back Jack Walker is also available to play against his former side after recovering from his latest injury. Two new loan signings – Ed Chamberlain and Yusuf Aydin – are included too.

Dropping out are winger Darnell McIntosh, who has joined Leigh Leopards, Cam Scott, who misses out through concussion protocols, Denive Balmforth, Macca Harman and Jeylan Hodgson.

Under-pressure Leads head coach Rohan Smith names teenagers Ben Littlewood and Riley Lumb in his squad for the first time after injury-prone pair Harry Newman and David Fusitu’a picked up new problems in that Giants defeat.

James Bentley, Morgan Gannon and Tom Holroyd are still out, and Ash Handley won’t quite make it.

Leeds Rhinos -14.5 @ 10/11

We backed against Leeds last week and it came in – almost perfectly in fact, with our anytime tryscorer Adam Swift running in another score in a stunning Giants win at Headingley that justified our interest in Ian Watson’s men on enemy soil.

Now can Leeds travel to Hull and get the win to resurrect their own season? They should do given Hull haven’t beaten Leeds at home in five years, but this could be a mess of a game given how both teams are playing. I was at St Helens last Friday when Hull were walloped 58-0 and apart from a vibrant opening quarter hour they were embarrassing.

Hull have a few bodies back this week, and a couple of new faces, so I don’t expect them to be as bad. They will probably look at the way Leeds are going and see this as a chance to grab only their second win of the season.

And it absolutely is, this Rhinos team has a soft centre, but they also have real class in Brodie Croft and Andy Ackers, and I expect that to be enough to guide Leeds home at a venue on which they have won their last three games.

Rhyse Martin anytime tryscorer @ 7/4

This feels like the kind of game that Leeds will rely on their experienced heads to step up in.

Rhyse Martin is one of the game’s top kickers and doesn’t cross for many tries.

But with two key men outside him missing, in Fusitu’a and Newman, that could give Martin a slightly different role in an attacking sense.

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