- Hull have conceded the joint-fewest home league goals (6)
- Chelsea have picked up 14 points from losing positions
- Hull have only beaten Chelsea four times in history, October 1988 was the last time
Hull City host Premier League title chasers Chelsea at the KC Stadium on Saturday (Watch live on NBCSN from 7am ET, online via NBC Sports Live Extra) as the Tigers aim for yet another upset against the Blues.
Hull, who have already beaten Liverpool at home and given Manchester United a real scare, are a force to be reckoned with in Yorkshire and Chelsea will not be taking this trip North lightly.
However Jose Mourinho’s men have little to be scared about, as they’ve won four of their last five PL games and have the second best defense in the league behind Arsenal. The Blues are positioning themselves rather nicely for a title-charge in the second half of the campaign.
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Steve Bruce’s Hull don’t have grand ambitions like that, but they are in the dizzying heights of tenth place and last time out they smashed six past Chelsea’s West London neighbors Fulham at the KC. The gameplan for the Tigers will be to keep it tight for as long as possible, then try to overpower Chelsea on set-pieces to snatch all three points late on.
Yet there’s anew-found resilience about this Chelsea side, as young stars likes Osacar, Eden Hazard and Willian are proving they can mix it up when they have to. They’ll certainly have to get stuck in and hold their own against an extremely physical Hull side on Saturday. This promises to be a real cracker.
In terms of injuries Paul McShane could miss out for Hull, while Sone Aluko and Robbie Brady are both still sidelined. As for Chelsea, again they will be without experienced duo Frank Lampard and Branislav Ivanovic who are still a few weeks away from full fitness.
What they’re saying
Hull’s captain Curtis Davies on how they can beat Chelsea: “You look at our recent home game against Manchester United. The way we started that game and really went for it is the same attitude we should show against Chelsea. But, if we’re able to get a goal or two, hopefully we’ll be able to hold onto it for a bit longer that we did against Manchester United. I always look forward to these games, like I do any game in the Premier League.”
Jose Mourinho on if Chelsea are looking for a striker in January: “A striker, 100 per cent no. It is not a priority, it is not an option. We have three. The market is open, but for us, it is almost closed.”
Prediction
Many will expect Chelsea to go up to Hull and ground out a 2-0 or 3-0 win, and I don’t deny I am thinking about that. But if the Tigers get off to a strong start at home, they could make life very difficult for Mourinho and co. I think Hull can sneak a point here, I really do, but I think Chelsea’s vast arsenal of weapons on the bench will swing the game in their favor. Narrow away win.
