Hull City could be handed timely Belloumi boost after Matazo takes step forward

CommentsSportBarry Cooper Hull City correspondent05:00, 08 Mar 2026Hull City’s squad could be boosted by the return of Mohamed Belloumi at Wrexham on Tuesday night as the Tigers look to respond after successive league defeats to teams above them in the top six.

The influential Algerian winger hasn’t played since damaging his hamstring after scoring for City in the 2-2 draw at Sheffield Wednesday on Boxing Day.

That was his second hamstring injury of the season after returning from nine months out with a knee ligament injury in August, and his absence has been felt in the final third by Sergej Jakirovic's men.

Belloumi trained at Cottingham on Saturday while his teammates were losing 3-1 at home to play-off rivals Millwall, and it’s hoped he will be fit to travel to North Wales on Monday afternoon, ready to take on Phil Parkinson's Red Dragons 24 hours later.

JOIN US ON FACEBOOK! Latest Hull City news and analysis on our Hull Live FB page

Both Lewie Coyle and Amir Hadziahmetovic are also set to play in Wales, despite coming into the weekend with ankle injuries that were expected to keep them out, while Toby Collyer made his return late on after a lengthy lay-off.

"Credit to Lewie, credit to the medical staff, they did everything so that he could play. I spoke yesterday with Lewie, and he wants to play," Jakirovic told Hull Live.. "It's very important how a player feels there, and I think he played a good game. I took him off to spare him because it's 3-1 after 90 minutes.

"It's very painful every time, and maybe when he hits the ball, it's the right foot, so it's his better foot, but he played well, and I think he's available for the next game. Amir as well, yes, he has a little bit of swelling there (his ankle), but he feels fine."

Eliot Matazo was named in the City squad for the first time since last January on Saturday, but he's not expected to be in the squad at Wrexham, and will instead play at least 45 minutes for the Under-21s against Sheffield United at the MKM Stadium on Tuesday afternoon as he continues his recovery from knee ligament surgery.

"Psychologically, it's important that he feels the atmosphere that he's part of the team," the head coach added.

"Everything's going by the plan. He will play on Tuesday for the Under-21s, 45 or 60 minutes, and then we will see, but everything's going by the plan. Toby also missed a lot, and we'll see him for the next games."

Here at Hull Live , we are dedicated to bringing you the best Hull City coverage and analysis.

Make sure you don't miss out on the latest City news by joining our free WhatsApp group.