Match Preview: Manchester City vs Hull City

Blues looking to bounce back after shock defeat

By Rebecca Halliwell

After the disappointment of losing away to Cardiff last weekend, Manchester City are set to face the second of three promoted sides on Saturday when they host Hull City at the Etihad Stadium. The Tigers finished second in the Championship last season and have made a good start to their first season in the Premier League for three years, beating Norwich 1-0 last week thanks to a penalty from Robbie Brady on 22 minutes.

Many fans expected Manuel Pellegrini's side to take all three points against the Bluebirds last weekend but the Blues were overcome by the roar of the home crowd, eventually losing 3-2. City’s defence has been the tightest in the league for the past two seasons, and while we lacked goals last season, I think it’s fair to say that Cardiff had most of their men behind the ball which didn’t allow for movement of players like David Silva to create scoring opportunities for others.

A memorable moment from City's 5-1 victory against Hull in December 2008
Photo: Official MCFC Facebook

Cardiff looked very strong on the break which troubled Manchester City’s makeshift defence. Vincent Kompany will be hoping to make a return by the Manchester Derby, but with himself and Micah Richards injured, City are short on numbers defensively.

Hull will be without Yannick Sagbo on Saturday after he picked up a red card against Norwich for head butting Russell Martin, whilst new signings Tom Huddlestone and Jake Livermore will be expected to start for the Tigers on Saturday afternoon.

Below is a video of that famous 5-1 for Manchester City against Hull, when then Tigers manager Phil Brown gave an unforgettable half time team talk...

My Thoughts 

I have been impressed with the quality of football that Manchester City have been playing. Against both Newcastle and Cardiff, the Blues have shown some of the impressive flair that they had in their title-winning season.

I am looking forward to hopefully seeing Stevan Jovetić play his first match in the Premier League. We have seen goals from Sergio Agüero, Edin Džeko and Álvaro Negredo and they are proving to be a deadly force going forward.

Hull will prove to be a stern test for City but I fully expect us to win comfortably against a team expected to be dwindling at the lower ebbs of the table come May.


Prediction: City 4 - 0 Hull

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(c) The Sky Blue View 2013