Hull City returns to the Premier League on Saturday after a nine-year spell in the lower leagues, and their reward is an opening day clash with giants Manchester United.
Hull got back into the promised land of the Premier League after qualifying for last season’s Championship play-offs on the final day of the regular season, followed by wins over Millwall in the semi-finals and Middlesbrough in the final. They’ve been busy in the transfer market, bringing in 14 new players to help them with the rigours
of elite football. The Tigers started last season as Championship relegation favourites and conceded 66 league goals, the fourth-highest, along the way. To say it was a surprise that they reached the playoff final, and then won it, would be an understatement.
Much will depend on playoff final hereo Oli McBurnie, the scorer of 19 goals last season.
In the second half of the 2025-26 season, United were one of the best sides in Europe under caretaker boss Michael Carrick. The former United midfielder transformed their fortunes after a dismal first half of the campaign under Ruben Amorim. The 44-year-old inherited a squad that sat 10th in the table and turned it into a side capable of beating Arsenal, Liverpool and Man City in the space of four months. That run of 12 wins, three draws and two defeats from 17 Premier League matches earned him a permanent two-year deal.
A net spend of £55m in the summer has seen midfielders Andrey Santos and Youri Tielemans join from Chelsea and Aston Villa respectively. United will be playing Champions League football for the first time in three years and that will undoubtedly place extra pressure on their playing personnel.
Rasmus Hojlund was sold to Napoli for £38m while Casemiro, Jadon Sancho and Tyrell Malacia all left on free transfers. Marcus Rashford returns after a loan spell with Barcelona, but it remains unclear whether he’ll still be at Old Trafford for the new season. 18-year-old wonger Tynan Thompson has arrived from Tottenham Hotspur in a £8m deal.
United has stiff competition for places in attack with Amad Diallo, Benjamin Sesko, Bryan Mbeumo and Matheas Cunha all proven at this level.
Central defence is a concern for United, with Matthijs de Ligt and Lenny Yoro both dealing with persistent injuries.
Bruno Fernandes is still the club’s talisman. The Portuguese playmaker broke the single-season Premier League assists record last term, creating 21 goals for teammates.
Premier League Schedule
It’s an afternoon kickoff in the UK, which means a 7:30 a.m. kickoff on the East Coast of the U.S.
Premier League Channel
The match is on Sky Sports Premier League in the UK. Those Stateside can watch on USA. For Spanish language coverage, tune into Telemundo. In Canada, it’s on DAZN and Fubo.
Everyone else, head on over to LiveSoccerTV to find your viewing options.
Predicted Lineup
Manchester United possible starting lineup: (4-2-3-1): Lammens; Dalot, Maguire, Martinez, Shaw; Tielemans, Mainoo; Mbeumo, Fernandes, Cunha; Sesko.
