Next Saturday, January 11, 2014, (4:45 AM Pacific, 12:45 GMT) Chelsea will visit the KC Stadium to face Hull City in the opening match of round 21 of the English Premier League. The Blues, who are enjoying their best moment of the season so far, want to continue their good run of games, while The Tigers will probably like to present their fans with a performance similar to the one they displayed against Fulham in their last home match.
Steve Bruce’s team, who is comfortably sitting on the tenth place of the table, have only conceded six goals when playing home so far this season. Their defensive line’s fierce performances, together with their goalkeeper’s (Allan McGregor) excellent displays have granted Hull City the staunchness they needed on their return to the English Premier League.
After the rampant victory (6-0) over Fulham, The Tigers’ joy was put on hold at Anfield Road at the hands of probably the best Liverpool of the last five or six years. However, Hull City managed to rise once again and eliminated Middlesbrough in the third round of the FA Cup last weekend.
As for Chelsea, the festive period has been fantastic for them. José Mourinho’s team is clearly improving on all aspects of the game and even without a prolific centre forward, the team has been able to be very efficient on the goal scoring department. It took some time, but the Portuguese head coach has found a way to motivate his team and to put them on the right track once again.
For their visit to the KC Stadium, the Blues will not be able to count on Frank Lampard and Branislav Ivanovic, who are still recovering from the injuries they suffered recently, and on Marco Van Ginkel, who will probably miss the rest of the season due to a severe knee injury.
Hull City vs Chelsea Prediction
With history on their side (the Blues have only lost 4 of the 34 matches played against Hull City), Chelsea will look for the win in order to put some extra pressure on Manchester City and Arsenal, which will have complicated matches at St. James’ Park and at Villa Park respectably. Hull City will want to give some continuation to their current good moment, being fully aware, nevertheless, the difficulties they will face against the UEFA Europa League holders. That being said, the most likely outcome is 1-2 to Chelsea.
Hull City vs Chelsea TV Info
The match will be televised in the USA on NBC Sports Network and on BBC One and BT Sport 1 in the UK at 4:45 AM Pacific, 12:45 GMT.
