Even at this embryonic stage of the Premier League season, not many would have tipped Hull City to be above Chelsea in the table.
Yet the Tigers do indeed proudly sit in third position in the standings, a point and a place better off than the Blues ahead of their meeting at Stamford Bridge on Saturday (3pm).
Hull’s wings were clipped slightly in midweek as they suffered a 1-0 loss at Sunderland to exit the Carabao Cup, but the benefit of that result is now a sole focus on the league. Sergej Jakirovic’s men have yet to concede across three PL outings thanks to some solid and committed defensive displays, but that stat is likely to come under stern examination with Chelsea’s multi-million pound forward line finding their scoring boots in midweek.
Xabi Alonso’s men head into their latest fixture against Yorkshire opposition hoping to pick up where they left off, after a pulsating 6-3 Carabao Cup mauling of Leeds United on Wednesday with all six strikes coming in a goal-laden second half.
Despite a seemingly ominous task ahead, the City chief wants his side to fully embrace the challenge of upsetting the odds in the capital. The history books are certainly stacked against the visitors, given they haven’t beaten Chelsea in any competition since 1988 – one of just four wins in 49 against the Blues.
“Every game is a new challenge and we will try to play even better than the last three rounds,” Jakirovic, who has no fresh injury concerns for the game, declared. “I’m expecting in every game that we grow and it’s great experience for us now that we have three games behind us.
“I watched Chelsea v Leeds and it is unbelievable how they are very strong, especially their offensive side. Anyone can decide every game and we have to be even more solid there, aggressive and compact. We will be under pressure, this is 100 per cent because they are a very good team with an excellent coach. It is a great challenge ahead of us and we will try to play good. For me, they will be in the top four 100 per cent because they have this quality.”
As for Alonso, it appears that he has some big decisions to make after his side’s aforementioned midweek glut of goals. With no European commitments to factor in to their schedule this season, the Spaniard has the benefit of having more time on the training pitches to bed his ideas in to his group.
Danny Welbeck, who notched a brace against Leeds, has given Alonso a headache over who to start up front with Joao Pedro also in contention. Morgan Rogers and Cole Palmer both seemed destined to start after sparkling cameos from the bench against Daniel Farke’s men. Rogers in particular caught the eye with a hat-trick of assists as he begins to pay back his mammoth £117m price tag.
Whoever Chelsea employ from the start, it will be fascinating to see how they go about attempting to break down the Premier League’s only unbreached defence thus far.
