English Premier
2026-09-05 - Hull City vs Aston Villa
A Sports Betting Pick by Auls
Football: English Premier League
Saturday 5th September 2026 - Kick Off 5:30pm
This game is live on TV
Hull City
After seeing how successful Sunderland were after coming up through the Play Offs and then spending to overhaul the squad, Hull City are clearly trying to follow a similar pattern. Credit has to be given to those players who have helped the club back into the Premier League, but seventeen arrivals in the summer transfer window suggests Hull City are well aware of the gap to bridge.
There is very little that could have gone better for Hull City in August having been tipped up as favourites for relegation by so many 'experts' before a ball had been kicked. Progress has been made in the League Cup, but it is the back to back Premier League wins with clean sheets that will really offer all excitement about the Hull City prospects over the next eight months.
Hull City upset Manchester United on the opening weekend, but it is the 0-1 win at Coventry City last time out that feels really important. Manager Sergej Jakirovic is set to be rewarded with a contract extension and Hull City are unbeaten in 7 in all competitions. The Tigers are unbeaten in 6 at the MKM Stadium going back to last season.
Lewie Coyle, Matty Jacob, Nobel Mendy and Matt Crooks are all expected to be available this weekend, although a number of players remain sidelined.
Aston Villa
Winning the Europa League would have felt like a chance to really spark Aston Villa under Unai Emery, but the summer has been a difficult one for the fans to absorb. So many key players have departed and the manager will be hoping to show his qualities by bringing together the new arrivals and seeing if he can instil his methods really quickly.
The Villans made a slow start to the season last year and so they will not be overly concerned about losing the opening two Premier League fixtures. Unai Emery will feel his side showed signs of quality in the 0-1 defeat to Champions Arsenal on Monday, but the manager will also be aware that Aston Villa cannot afford too many performances like the one produced at Brighton on the opening weekend.
Aston Villa were crushed 4-0 that day as they conceded all of those goals in the first half, and that was a result that ended the 5 game unbeaten run in all competitions. The stronger results tend to be at Villa Park and Aston Villa have won 1 of the last 6 away games played in all competitions.
Leon Goretzka has been signed for his experience and could travel with the squad, but Johan Manzambi and Brian Madjo may not be quite ready. Joao Gomes is suspended after being sent off on the opening weekend.
Head to Head
Aston Villa took four points from Hull City in the 2018/19 Championship season and the majority were earned in a 1-3 away win.
Hull City have won 1 of the last 7 home games against Aston Villa.
Prediction
The market is pretty interesting for this Premier League fixture with the team that has yet to pick up a point being an odds on favourite to win at a team that has won both Premier League games without conceding a goal.
If this was the first game of the season, you would likely have seen those prices for Aston Villa to win at the MKM Stadium, but the away team look very short right now.
Unai Emery is a very good manager and you just know he will mould Aston Villa into a very solid team, but that may happen when the likes of Johan Manzambi and Joao Gomes are available. Both miss out this week and Aston Villa have just struggled with the right approach to take in the final third with chances at a premium through the opening two weeks.
No one can be that surprised that there are some teething problems for a team that has lost so much experience and quality over the summer.
Patience will be needed, but Aston Villa showed enough signs against Arsenal on Bank Holiday Monday to believe they will still have a decent season. Staying healthy while managing Champions League commitments will be the challenge, but Emery has shown he can get more out of the players at his disposal than some may believe.
However, in saying all that, it took Aston Villa a couple of months to really settle last season and something similar would not be a surprise.
An extended September international break that drags into October may help, but for now, Aston Villa are a work in progress.
Hull City have also been involved in a huge amount of transition as they have bought in seventeen new players, but Sergej Jakirovic has overseen a couple of very important wins. There is still a lot of hard work to get through, but Hull City have to be encouraged by consecutive clean sheets at this level and they have shown set pieces can be exploited.
Asking the home team to beat another Champions League competitor at home may be too much, but Hull City are capable of avoiding a defeat. Confidence will be really high right now and they have shown they can be effective enough defensively to be able to contain the current Aston Villa threat, at least at this stage of the season.
There will be plenty encouraged by the Hull City home win price after they pulled the upset over Manchester United, but the best approach here may be having a small interest in the draw.
Over the last couple of years, Aston Villa have won 3 and drawn 3 away from home at newly promoted clubs and the form over the first couple of weeks of this season may suggest the draw is going to be the best way for the visiting team to get off the mark in this campaign.
The Statistics :
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The Pick :
Hull City 1-1 Aston Villa
