Preview: Hull City v Manchester United

Posted Saturday, August 27, 2016 by foxsportsasia.com

Preview: Hull City v Manchester United
In-form Hull City will fear little going into their clash with Manchester United’s galaxy of stars at KCOM Stadium on Saturday.

Hull City v Manchester United
Premier League
28 August 2016
Kickoff: 00:30 HKT
Venue: KCOM Stadium

Referee: J. Moss
Assistants: A. Halliday, E. Smart
Fourth official: M. Atkinson

Head-to-head league summary

TEAM MATCHES WIN DRAW LOSS
Hull 8 0 1 7
United 8 7 1 0

Previous encounter

Hull 0-0 United 24/05/15 (Premier League)

Players to watch

Jake Livermore’s display as a makeshift centre-back will be something to keep an eye on closely. He will likely be assigned the extremely tough job of trying to marshall an on-fire Zlatan Ibrahimovic. Expect a few fireworks in the struggle between these two.

Paul Pogba gave a virtuoso central-midfield performance on debut for United. It was a thrilling introduction for fans at Old Trafford to witness. Expect little-known Sam Lucas to give his all in trying to combat the world class French star in the middle of the park.

Shaun Maloney came off the bench against Swansea City to score a goal and register an assist – he will no doubt be lifted by his performance and could have a say against the Red Devils.

Team form and manager quotes

Despite a squad of just 13 fit senior first team players, Hull coach Mike Phelan has worked virtual magic so far with the Tigers. An opening day victory over champions Leicester City was followed by an away win over Swansea City.

It appears Phelan has developed something of a fortress mentality at Hull. The 53-year-old believes the spirit in the squad is high despite the injury situation.

“I can’t praise the players here enough. There’s a great atmosphere around the place and everyone is smiling. It’s another tough Premier League test for us on Saturday. It will be hard, but the players are relishing the challenge,” he said before the game.

However, United also boast a perfect record having beaten Bournemouth and Southampton in their opening two league fixtures. Jose Mourinho appears to be happy with the squad he has available and doesn’t believe he needs to add to it before the transfer window closes.

“I think we’re going to have a very quiet week, not surrounded by helicopters, waiting for somebody to leave or to arrive, so I am more than happy with the squad I have,” he said.

On our way 🚌 #premierleague #away#united 🔴 pic.twitter.com/yZpq8GYCX0

— Ander Herrera (@AnderHerrera) August 26, 2016
Team news

Harry Maguire returns for Hull City after recovering from an ankle injury although Mike Phelan may be cautious to make changes to his line-up after such a good run.

Manchester United coach Jose Mourinho may start with the same starting line-up that beat Southampton 2-0. Midfielder Jesse Lingard is fit after recovering from an injury he picked up in the Community Shield.