Hull City will play host to Bristol City on Saturday afternoon at the MKM Stadium in the opening weekend of the Championship with kickoff at 5 pm.
The 2020/21 season marks a new beginning for Hull City, after the unpopular Allam family finally sold the club to Turkish media mogul Acun Ilicali in January.
As expected, there has been plenty of squad churn this summer, with Keane Lewis-Potter and George Honeyman two notable departures. Ilicali has clearly used his contacts to bring in Allahyar Sayyadmanesh, Dogukan Sinik, Ozan Tufan and Benjamin Tetteh from his homeland.
In addition, Jean Michael Seri represents a free transfer after finally delivering on his promise with Fulham during their title-winning campaign last season.
Oscar Estupinan represents an intriguing signing in attack after scoring 15 goals in Portugal’s Primeira Division last season. The 25-year-old Colombian could prove to be one of the signings of the summer if he adapts to English football.
With Bristol City having had a quieter summer than their forthcoming opponents, it is pretty clear where the Robins need to improve on last season: only the top six scored more goals than them, yet only two teams conceded more. Still, few fans could argue they did not get their monies worth at Ashton Gate in Pearson’s first full season in charge.
Hull City vs Bristol City Head to Head
Both sides have 19 games against each other with hosts taking six wins while visitors with seven wins. Here is a look at their previous encounters:
Home
- Peterborough 3-0 Hull City
- Cambridge 1-2 Hull City
- Hull City 0-4 Leicester City
- Malaga 1-3 Hull City
Away
- Bournemouth 0-1 Bristol City
- Plymouth Argyle 0-1 Bristol City
- Bristol City 0-0 Portsmouth
- Bristol City 2-0 Cheltenham
Hull City Team News
Aside from young forward Billy Chadwick, who continues to recover from a cruciate ligament injury, Arveladze appears to have a clean bill of health to choose from ahead of his first full season in charge of the club. He seems uninterested in the friendly defeat to Peterborough, having fielded the same team in Leicester.
Bristol City Team News
Bristol City are likely to be without defender Nathan Baker for the entire season. Last month, manager Derek Pearson casted significant doubt over the 31-year-old player’s future in football after he suffered two serious head injuries last season. Baker has not featured since being stretchered off against Sheffield United in November 2021.
Prediction and Odds
The result of this match could go either way, but the visitors look to be a more settled unit at this stage of the season, and confidence could be high after a strong pre-season.
- Away Win
- Goals Over 2.5
- Both Teams to Score