Ryan Giles will return to the Hull City squad for their New Year's Day meeting with his former club Middlesbrough, but there was less positive news elsewhere.

Giles limped out of the 1-0 defeat at Preston North End on Boxing Day with a hamstring complaint and missed the 1-0 win at Blackburn Rovers on Sunday afternoon as a precaution.

The ex-Boro loanee has returned to training with no reaction to his issue and will be in the squad to take on Michael Carrick's side at the MKM Stadium; however, Ryan Longman is doubtful for the maiden game of 2025.

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Sunday's matchwinner Longman, who guided in a fine finish 13 minutes from time to register his first Tigers goal in more than two years, complained of a groin issue after the win at Ewood Park and will be assessed before the 5:30pm game under the East Yorkshire lights.

Giles is available, fully available for tomorrow," Selles told Hul Live. "Longman is a doubt for tomorrow. After the game (at Blackburn) he reported some growing discomfort, so we will not know if he's available until tomorrow, probably before the game."

Since arriving at City, Selles has not been blessed with players being fit and available, something which continues to hamper his ability to pick his strongest side, but he refuses to dwell on that.

I think that's the case," he said of the constant stream of injuries. "We always talk about the idea of a scenario where everyone is fit, and then I will need to make decisions, but things happen in football and as a football team, and myself as a manager, if we learn something in our previous club (Reading), it's just don't make excuses.

"So if somebody is not available, somebody is not available, somebody will step into the pitch and it's the same way if Longman is not available, I'm pretty sure that somebody would like to come into the pitch and make a statement as he did in the last game."

City will be without long-term absentees Liam Millar and Mohamed Belloumi, as well as Charlie Hughes and Kasey Palmer, and though Carl Rushworth is back in training, he's not yet available for selection, and Oscar Zambrano remains banned.

On facing Boro, who beat City on November 30 during Andy Dawson's caretakership prior to taking over, the Spaniard admitted he expected a different type of game to Preston and Blackburn.

"We know the team; we have been following Michael Carrick since he took over. Last season, it was a little bit not the start that they wanted, this season they are around the play-offs. It's a good team with very clear ideas.

"I know the results have not been there for them, but they have been competing every game, and the schedule is about that; sometimes you get three draws in a row, and then you get three victories in a row, especially teams like them that have a lot of power in the front.

"I expect a team that is organised, a game that can be a little bit more open than the last couple of games that we played because of the style of play that they have and a game that is going to be a good challenge for us, but I expect us to be really competitive.

"Our mentality is always going to go and beat our opponent. It doesn't matter who it is in front of us and we would like to play at home and we would like to make a game at home in the way that we want to play. We need to make our stadium a difficult place to come and win if the opponent wants to win, it needs to be because they have a really, really good day. Obviously, we want to start tomorrow with a good performance which will be massive for us."