Hull City will face a baptism of fire when they welcome Manchester United to the MKM Stadium on Saturday to kick off their 2026/27 Premier League campaign.
Premier League football finally returns this week, and Gameweek 1 of the 2026/27 season will kick off on Friday with the game between Arsenal and Coventry City at the Emirates. The action on Saturday will start with Hull City vs Manchester United at the MKM Stadium.
Hull City took the scenic route back to the Premier League after going through the promotion playoffs to secure a spot in the top flight for the 2026/27 season, having scraped through to a top-six finish. So, having returned to the first division after nearly a decade, they have left no stone unturned to be prepared for the upcoming campaign.
The Tigers have completed 14 signings in the summer transfer window thus far, and they will be eager to turn things around defensively after conceding 66 goals in the Championship last term, the fourth-highest tally in the division. Sergej Jakirovic’s men have shown a positive trend during their pre-season campaign, conceding only four goals in five outings while clinching two wins (D2 L1). However, Hull will start the new season as one of the favourites to suffer relegation.
On the other hand, Manchester United will be eager to continue from where they left off at the end of the 2025/26 season. Michael Carrick wielded the magic wand to help United secure a top-three finish. While the Red Devils have not been nearly as active as Hull City in the transfer market, they have done well to address a few areas of concern.
As for Manchester United’s pre-season campaign, they started and ended with dismal displays, losing 1-0 to Wrexham in July and 4-2 to AC Milan last week. However, apart from those two outings, Carrick’s men were impressive, beating Atletico Madrid while holding Paris Saint-Germain to a 1-1 draw. While there are some promising signs, a lot of work remains before United can be a title contender in the Premier League.
The most recent Premier League clash featuring Hull City and Manchester United at the MKM Stadium ended in a 1-0 win for the Red Devils, with Marcus Rashford scoring the only goal. The Hard Tackle looks closer at the encounter ahead of the latest meeting between the two sides.
Team News & Tactics
Hull City
Sergej Jakirovic is grappling with an injury crisis at the onset of the 2026/27 season, with those fitness issues hampering his preparations. The Hull City manager will be bereft of the services of ten first-team players vs Manchester United on Saturday.
Jack Butland (elbow), Charlie Hughes (groin), Paddy McNair (knee), Darko Gyabi (groin), Oscar Zambrano (hamstring), Matty Jacob (groin), Eliot Matazo (knee), Hidemasa Morita (calf), Joe Gelhardt (ankle), and Enis Destan (knee). Meanwhile, Cody Drameh faces a late fitness test to determine his availability after struggling with a thigh injury recently.
Konstantinos Tzolakis will take his spot between the sticks, with Hull City lining up in a 4-2-3-1 formation in front of him vs Manchester United on Saturday. The backline will feature Lewie Coyle, Semi Ajayi, Nobel Mendy, and Matt Targett.
As for the midfield unit, Regan Slater and Matt Crooks will pair up in the double pivot, with Jens Hjerto-Dahl reprising the no. 10 role. Finally, Oliver McBurnie will lead the line for Hull against Manchester United, with Elliot Stroud and Mohamed Belloumi completing the numbers on the flanks.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Tzolakis; Coyle, Ajayi, Mendy, Targett; Slater, Crooks; Belloumi, Hjerto-Dahl, Stroud; McBurnie
Manchester United
Like his counterpart in the Hull City dugout, Michael Carrick has a few pressing issues to worry about ahead of the trip to the MKM Stadium. The Manchester United head coach will be without five first-team players on Saturday.
Karl Darlow is recovering after an unspecified medical procedure, while Tom Heaton is struggling with a knock. Matthijs de Ligt remains unavailable as he continues his recovery from a lower back complaint, while Mason Mount is a short-term absentee. Finally, Manuel Ugarte will miss most of the 2026/27 season due to a knee injury.
Senne Lammens is an automatic pick between the sticks, with Manchester United lining up in a 4-2-3-1 formation in front of him vs Hull City on Saturday. The backline will feature Diogo Dalot, Harry Maguire, Ayden Heaven, and Luke Shaw.
As for the midfield unit, Youri Tielemans and Andrey Santos will pair up in the double pivot, with Kobbie Mainoo an option off the bench. Bruno Fernandes will reprise the no. 10 role, with Matheus Cunha and Amad Diallo being the two wide attackers. Finally, Bryan Mbeumo will spearhead the Manchester United attack, with Marcus Rashford and Benjamin Sesko being backup players.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Lammens; Dalot, Maguire, Heaven, Shaw; Tielemans, Santos; Amad, Bruno Fernandes, Cunha; Mbeumo
Key Stats
- Hull City are winless in 10 Premier League games vs Manchester United (D2 L8), the joint-most they have faced a side without winning, along with Chelsea (also D2 L8). The Red Devils have only met Charlton Athletic (16), QPR (14) and Birmingham City (14) more often without losing.
- Manchester United have never lost in the top flight when facing a newly promoted team in their first game of the season (W9 D3), with Saturday’s tie the first instance since 2010/11 when they beat Newcastle United 3-0.
- Only Blackpool (100%, 1/1) and Manchester United (65%, 22/34) have a better win ratio in Gameweek 1 Premier League games than Hull City, who have won 60% of their openers in the competition (3/5). Their most recent top-flight opening game was when they beat reigning champions Leicester City in 2016/17.
- Manchester United have won their opening game of the Premier League season on 22 occasions, the most of any side. However, they lost 1-0 to Arsenal in the 2025/26 season, last losing their first encounter in consecutive league seasons in 1972/73 and 1973/74, getting relegated in the latter.
- So far in the Premier League in 2026, Manchester United have earned the most points (41), won the joint-most games (12, level with Arsenal), and scored the most goals (36), while only Bournemouth (1) have lost fewer games in the division this calendar year so far than the Red Devils (2).
Player to Watch
Bruno Fernandes
While Bryan Mbeumo, Oliver McBurnie, and Jens Hjerto-Dahl were viable candidates for this section, we have picked Bruno Fernandes as the Player to Watch for Saturday’s Premier League clash between Hull City and Manchester United at the MKM Stadium.
The Manchester United skipper was exceptional in the 2025/26 season, as he set a new record for most assists in a single Premier League campaign last season with 21. With nine goals in tow, he became the first Manchester United player to be involved in 30+ goals in two different Premier League campaigns (also 30 in 2020/21). The Red Devils will bank on the Portuguese international to retain that level when they begin their campaign.
Prediction
Hull City 1-2 Manchester United
Hull City will take heart from their performances in the pre-season when they host Manchester United this weekend. The Tigers begin their campaign knowing there are no easy games in the Premier League and that United cannot afford to take them lightly.
However, Michael Carrick has an impressive record against Hull City from his time at Middlesbrough, having won four of his six meetings with the Tigers. The Manchester United head coach has also remained unbeaten at the MKM Stadium, and that streak should continue this weekend. The Hard Tackle predicts a 2-1 win for Carrick and his charges.