Hull City v Chelsea
Football: England, Premier League 2009/2010
Tuesday, 2nd February 2010 - Kickoff 7:45pm

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Hull City

Phil Brown has seen the back of the transfer window without losing Stephen Hunt, an important part of this side as they bid to extend their stay in the Premier League to beyond 2 seasons.

Hull City are currently in 19th spot in the Premier League, but they are still more than in touch with their rivals above them. The Tigers have 20 points this season and they are only 1 point off safety although their goal difference may cause them problems at the end of the year. They are 4-4-3 at home where they have scored 15 goals and conceded 18.

The Tigers have failed to win any of their last 10 games in all competitions, 9 of those being Premier League matches, and this lack of form can be coincided with the loss of Jimmy Bullard who is not quite ready to return to the side. Hull may gain some confidence from the fact they have only lost 1 of their last 8 matches at the KC Stadium. That defeat was against Manchester United, the only one of those 8 matches against a side in the top half of the table.

Amir Zaki has signed for Hull in this window and could make his full debut here. Kamil Zayatte did not play on Saturday but has returned to the squad.

Chelsea

Chelsea could have sat back and relaxed on Sunday as their 2 main rivals squared off but will now have to attend to their own business before the matter of playing Arsenal at Stamford Bridge next weekend.

The Blues currently top the Premier League with a 1 point advantage over the reigning Champions Manchester United who have played a game more than Chelsea. They have a 6-2-3 away record, scoring 20 goals in those games and conceding 11. This means they have the joint best defensive record away from home with Aston Villa.

Chelsea are unbeaten in their last 11 games in all competitions, and while many predicted a downturn for them while some of their players went to the African Cup of Nations, the Blues have responded with 6 straight wins. They have only lost 1 of their last 11 away games within 90 minutes in all competitions, but the win at Burnley at the weekend was their first away from home since beating Arsenal at the Emirates.

Didier Drogba and Salomon Kalou are both available for selection once more. Ricardo Carvalho also returns although Ashley Cole is facing a late fitness test.

Head to Head

Chelsea have won 4 of the last 5 meetings against Hull City. All 3 matches at Stamford Bridge have been close, with Chelsea winning two of those games 2-1 and drawing the other.

However, at the KC Stadium, Chelsea have won their last 2 by margins of 3 and 4 goals.

Last season this fixture ended 0-3 to Chelsea.

Prediction

Hull City will look to anything they get out of this as a bonus, knowing results against teams around them will be far more important in relation to survival. They have proved tough to beat at home for a lot of the sides in the bottom half of the table, but concede too many goals.

Chelsea looked lethargic against Burnley after a very promising beginning and it took a late goal to grab all 3 points. The return of Drogba can not be understated and they are sure to push on for the victory here to open up a gap to Manchester United and to maintain momentum coming into the clash with Arsenal.

I think Chelsea are going to be strong enough to win and I do expect a better performance from them than the one on Saturday. I think Hull struggle against the better sides in the division and feel Chelsea will win with something to spare.

The Pick :

Hull City 0-2 Chelsea

HANDICAP BETTING :

Chelsea -1.5 Asian Handicap