Hull City has a huge task ahead of them this Thursday, January 26th when they host fellow Premier League team Manchester United side at the KC Stadium in the second leg of their League Cup semifinal. Man United took charge of the series in the first leg with a 2-0 home win at Old Trafford two weeks ago. The winner will meet the victor of the other semifinal between Premier League clubs Liverpool and Southampton, which Southampton lead 1-0 after the first leg at home. The League Cup Final is scheduled for Sunday, February 26th at London’s famous Wembley Stadium. There needs to be a winner on Thursday, so if the series is tied it will go to 30 minutes of extra time. If it’s still level, it will then be decided by a penalty shootout.
Hull City vs Manchester United – Pinnacle Soccer Betting Line:
- Pinnacle currently lists Man United as the favorites to win the 90-minute game at -184 with Hull +569 and a draw at +339
Hull City vs Manchester United – Head to Head:
These two teams last met in August in league action with Man United winning 1-0 in Hull. Prior to that, they played twice in the 2014/15 campaign with United winning 3-0 at Old Trafford and the squads drawing 0-0 in Hull. The two clubs have met just 29 times in the past with United winning 20, losing five and drawing the other four. Hull’s last triumph win was a 2-0 home result in league play back in November of 1974. Hull is winless in the past 12 meetings with a draw and 11 losses.
Hull City – A Closer Look:
Hull is coming off of a 2-0 away loss to league leading Chelsea in Premier League play on Sunday. The club was promoted to the Premier League at the completion of last the campaign season and there’s a good chance they’ll be relegated back to the second-tier Championship League at the end of this season. Hull currently has just 16 points out of a possible 66 after 22 league games and sits in 19th place in the 20-team league. They have four victories, four draws and 13 defeats with 20 goals scored and 47 allowed. They have just one win in their past 11 contests along with three draws and seven losses. They’ve also been outscored 23-10 over that stretch.
Hull is just one point ahead of cellar dwellers Sunderland and is tied on points with 18th-place Crystal Palace, but have a worse goal differential. However, they’re just two points behind 17th-place Swansea City and the league’s safety zone. Hull has three wins, three draws and five losses at home in league play this season with 14 goals for and 21 against. New manager Marco Silva has some injury woes to deal with as midfielder Ryan Mason is questionable. Midfielders Markus Henriksen and Brian Lenihan are out as well as forward William Keane and defender Alex Bruce. Defender Moses Odubajo is out for the season.
On the bright side, goaltender Allan McGregor is now back in training, but Ahmed Elmohamady and Dieumerci Mbokani are away at the African Cup of Nations. So far in this season’s League Cup competition, Hull has beaten Exeter City 3-1 away, Stoke City 2-1 away, and Bristol City 2-1 away. They then beat Newcastle United in a penalty shootout in the quarterfinals after the two teams had played to a 1-1 draw. Hull City has yet to reach an English League Cup Final.
Manchester United – A Closer Look:
Man United enters the game after scoring an injury-time goal at Stoke City on Saturday to earn a 1-1 draw. It was Wayne Rooney’s record-setting 250th goal for the franchise which earned them the point. They’re still sitting in sixth position in the Premier League after 22 contests with 41 points from 11 victories, eight draws and three losses. They’ve scored 33 goals and have conceded 21. United won their first three league matches of the season and now have eight victories in their past 19 league contests and seven wins in the past 14. Their six-game EPL winning streak came to an end two games ago with a 1-1 home draw with Liverpool and have now drawn their past two outings.
However, United is undefeated in their past 17 games overall and has 16 wins in their past 27 outings in all competitions. These 17 matches consist of 13 wins and four draws. They also have eight draws in their last 16 league matches. United has six victories, three draws and a pair of defeat away from home in the league this season with 16 goals for and 12 against. They trail league-leading Chelsea by 14 points and are six behind second-place Arsenal, five back of third-place Tottenham Hotspur, four behind fourth-place Liverpool and two points back of fifth-place Manchester City.
Manager Jose Mourinho has a relatively healthy squad to choose from as James Wilson is the only player on the injury list and could miss the rest of the campaign. However, defender Eric Bailly is away at the African Cup of Nations. United has beaten Northampton 3-1 away in this season’s League Cup along with a 1-0 home victory over Man City and a 4-1 home triumph over West Ham United in the quarterfinals. Man United has played in eight League Cup Finals with four wins and four losses. Their last victory and appearance came back in 2010.
Hull City vs Manchester United – Takeaway:
It’s an uphill battle here for Hull and it’s doubtful they’ll pull it off as they need to win 2-0 just to send the game to extra time. A two-goal win by any other score will see them reach their first League Cup Final, but Man United advances even with a draw.
by Ian S. Palmer