Hull City host Sheffield Wednesday at the MKM Stadium this weekend in a fixture where both teams need to bounce back from their opening game disappointments. The two sides both experienced a 2-1 defeat, with late goals clinching the win for the opponents. The Tigers dominate the recent head to head record, beating Wednesday 1-0 on both occasions during the 2019/20 Championship season.
Hull City
Hull took an early lead away to Norwich City last weekend thanks to a 17th minute Liam Delap goal. Following the opener, the Tigers faced 15 shots in the first half alone and conceded an XG of 1.81 which indicates that Hull were content with attempting to hold onto their slender lead and create dangerous moments on the counter attack. Having said that, it didn’t exactly go to plan and the hosts equalised on the stroke of half time. The second half mainly saw waves of Norwich attacks with Liam Rosenior’s side struggling to regain a foothold in the game and the 96th minute Adam Idah winner was definitely deserved.
Against Sheffield Wednesday, the Hull faithful will hope that their side can produce a slightly more inspiring performance and luckily they will have Rosenior back on the touchline after he served his ban against Doncaster Rovers in another 2-1 defeat last night. It is clear that Hull are prone to conceding chances which is an aspect of their game that needs addressing ahead of the next game, if it is not, then it is reasonable to predict they may be in trouble.
Sheffield Wednesday
The Owls suffered a 2-1 defeat against promotion aiming side, Southampton, last Friday and Xisco Munoz will wish for an improved result on Saturday, despite claiming that he was satisfied with his sides performance. Yet truth be told, Wednesday barely had a kick all game and the forwards were feeding off scraps, with the visitors having an astonishing 80% of the possession. They suffered a late goal which ultimately handed the Saints the win, but they also experienced a late goal themselves this week in the EFL Cup, with a 97th minute Tyreeq Bakinson finish taking the tie to penalties, which the Owls eventually won.
They will be up against a more even opposition this time around however, so the Xisco game plan may differ to the one against Southampton. Based on Hull being rather unsecure defensively, the Owls may wish to soak up the pressure and take advantage of transitions, where Barry Bannan and Josh Windass will be able to influence the game.
Verdict?
Hull boss, Rosenior, is already under slight pressure after the poor start to the season and Xisco will want to build upon last week’s performance, so each side will be desperate to not lose the game. This may lead to a cautious approach from both managers, even though Hull are favourites to win.
The final prediction is a 1-1 draw.
