Hull City arrive at the Emirates on Saturday without Matt Crooks, the man who changed their last game, and with Hidemasa Morita set to miss out too, but Sergej Jakirovic still has a settled back five and a striker in form.
Kick-off is 3pm UK time and it will be the Tigers’ 200th Premier League game. They are unbeaten at home this season and have lost only two of their first nine league matches, but the champions went top with a 1-0 win at Anfield on Sunday, and Jakirovic was honest about the size of the task. “They control everything, and also they will not allow better teams or us to do much, but you know in football you have a chance,” the Croatian said on Thursday. “We have prepared something, but obviously they are big favourites, and we will try to create some difficulties for them.”
He also had a joke ready about the fixture. “It is a very easy game for us. What is so difficult?” he said, before adding that the last time Hull City won at the Emirates, in 2008, one of the defenders that day was Andy Dawson, now on his coaching staff. “We need Andy Dawson,” he said.
For the home side, we have already picked our Arsenal XI to face Hull. This is how we see the visitors lining up.
Hull City predicted lineup vs Arsenal
Hull City predicted lineup vs Arsenal (5-4-1): Tzolakis; Coyle, Egan, Mendy, Ajayi, Giles; Belloumi, Slater, Iroegbunam, Stroud; McBurnie
Which shape will Jakirovic pick?
This is the big question. Against Ipswich Town last Saturday, Hull started with five at the back, were a goal down at half-time and switched to the 4-3-3 they used for much of last season. Egan came off, Crooks came on, and the Tigers came from behind to lead 2-1 before Enciso’s strike made it 2-2.
Jakirovic would not give much away. “We will have to see. We have tried something this week, plan A, plan B and C, but we will see,” he said, adding that it “has to be front-foot and aggressive because Arsenal have very high quality.”
Front-foot or not, we expect the back five at the Emirates. Crooks was the player who made the 4-3-3 work as a support act for McBurnie, and he is banned. Tim Iroegbunam made the same point in his own way this week, saying both shapes show “how flexible we can be in playing in different positions, different formations.”
Defence: the same five as last week
Konstantinos Tzolakis: keeps the gloves for now
Jack Butland is back. He had elbow surgery after getting hurt on the day Hull flew to Germany for a pre-season friendly, was in the squad against Ipswich and then played 90 minutes for the under-21s against Derby County on Monday, keeping a clean sheet. He is now competing for the shirt, but a first league start for him at the Emirates would be a big call, so we stay with Tzolakis.
Lewie Coyle: the captain on the right
Coyle kept his old team-mate Philogene quiet in the first half last weekend before coming off for Brooke Norton-Cuffy late on. The skipper’s hamstring stiffness from the previous week has not held him back.
John Egan, Nobel Mendy and Semi Ajayi: the centre-back three
Egan had a tough first half against Ipswich and was the one taken off at the break, but he is the natural centre of a back three. Mendy was straight back into the side after a groin problem and a concussion, and Jakirovic has said he must be careful with him but also has to use him. Ajayi improved as the game went on and finished it strongly.
Ryan Giles: will need help on the left
Giles was pinned back for long spells last weekend. Against Arsenal, a back five should give him more cover than he had against Ipswich.
Midfield: Slater and Iroegbunam in the middle
Regan Slater and Tim Iroegbunam
With Crooks banned and Morita out, this pair picks itself. Iroegbunam scored his first top-flight goal against Ipswich, galloping clear for the equaliser, and the former Aston Villa youngster is in no mood to be overawed. “It’s not like it hasn’t been done before; like they haven’t been beaten, it’s possible,” he said. Slater was slow to get going last week but much better after the break.
Mo Belloumi and Elliot Stroud: the wide men
Belloumi is the only real worry. He has been complaining of a glute problem, though Hull hope he can train on Friday, and Jakirovic said on Thursday that “Mo Belloumi is OK.” He won the free-kick McBurnie scored from last week and is one of Hull’s biggest threats on the break. If he does not make it, Mohamed-Ali Cho, who looked bright off the bench against Ipswich, is the obvious swap. Stroud works the other flank.
Can McBurnie finally hurt Arsenal?
Oli McBurnie: in form, but not against the Gunners
McBurnie has scored in his last two Premier League games, the second a lovely free-kick against Ipswich, and he set up the equaliser too. He has played through a broken finger and a damaged rib. The catch: he has not scored or assisted in eight previous games against Arsenal. He also avoided the fifth booking that would have kept him out of this one.
Who misses out for Hull?
Crooks serves a one-match ban after picking up his fifth yellow card of the season off the bench against Ipswich. Morita has a groin and adductor problem, picked up in training, and is expected to be out for a couple of weeks, with the Brighton home game after the international break his likely return.
Charlie Hughes (groin) has been training and is pencilled in for an under-21s game against Fleetwood Town next week, while Ansah (back) and Eliot Matazo (ACL) are still out. Matt Targett and Darko Gyabi have also been missing. On the plus side, Jakirovic said Gourna-Douath is fine, and Sorba Thomas is pushing for a return to the squad after training well.
For the full picture on the other side, our Arsenal injury news before Hull covers Konsa, Saliba and Saka, and Arteta’s side come into it off the back of a 2-1 win in Prague on Wednesday.
Our view: a long afternoon for the Tigers
Hull have earned the right to be taken seriously. They beat Manchester United on the opening day and have five draws already this season, so they are hard to put away. But without Crooks they lose their best way of changing a game, and the back five will spend most of the afternoon in its own half. If Belloumi is fit, the counter-attack is their way in. If he is not, it is hard to see where the goals come from.
Hull City predicted lineup vs Arsenal (5-4-1): Tzolakis; Coyle, Egan, Mendy, Ajayi, Giles; Belloumi, Slater, Iroegbunam, Stroud; McBurnie
