Hull vs Aston Villa Preview: Team News & Prediction

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Hull City will fancy themselves to continue their strong start to the season as they now welcome a still pointless Aston Villa side to the East Riding of Yorkshire on Saturday.

Kick-off date/time: 5 September 2026 at 5:30 pm

How to watch on TV: UK – Sky Sports / USA – NBC

How to watch online: UK – Sky Go / USA – Peacock

Hull preview: Brilliant start for The Tigers

Following their promotion back to the Premier League via the play-offs last season, Sergej Jakirovic’s Hull side and their eccentric chairman and owner Acun Ilicali have made 18 new signings as they seek to compete in the top-flight.

They have started extremely strongly, too, with a shock 2-0 defeat of Manchester United in their opener being followed up by a 1-0 defeat of fellow newly-promoted outfit Coventry side last week, courtesy of a late Liam Millar winner.

Aston Villa preview: Finding their way

Unai Emery’s UEFA Europa League winners Aston Villa have embarked upon wholesale changes to their squad this summer with six starters from the UEFA Europa League final having departed and a new look side now needing to gel.

After a slender loss to Paris Saint-Germain in the UEFA Super Cup, The Villans were blown away by Brighton and Hove Albion before showing improvement in a 1-0 defeat to Arsenal at Villa Park last week.

Hull team news: Quite a few issues

Sergej Jakirovic has confirmed that Hull are dealing with 'some problems' that have stemmed from their game against Coventry but it has been confirmed that Joe Gelhardt is now fit and available.

Matt Crooks requires a late fitness test, while the likes of Nobel Mendy and Lewie Coyle are among those that have sustained some issues from last weekend.

Predicted XI (3-4-3): Tzolakis; Ajayi, Egan, Mendy; Norton-Cuffy, Slater, Morita, Giles; Stroud, McBurnie, Belloumi

Unavailable: Butland (Injured), Hughes (Injured), Zambrano (Injured), Gyabi (Injured), Matazo (Injured)

Questionable: Mendy (Injured), Coyle (Injured), Jacob (Injured), Crooks (Fitness)

Aston Villa team news: Still light in midfield

Joao Gomes remains suspended this weekend with suggestions that Leon Goretzka is still not fully fit while Amadou Onana recovers from surgery on an ACL injury.

New signings Taylor Harwood-Bellis and Ibrahim Mbaye could come straight into the eleven, albeit the former is more likely in order to replace the gap left by Ezri Konsa.

Predicted XI (4-2-3-1): Suzuki; Cash, Harwood-Bellis, Torres, Maatsen; Kamara, Barkley; McGinn, Buendia, Garnacho; Jackson

Unavailable: Gomes (Suspended), Onana (Injured), Bailey (Injured), Manzambi (Injured), Madjo (Injured)

Questionable: Goretzka (Fitness)

Hull vs Aston Villa prediction

There will be a feeling that Hull will get ‘up and at them’ as the light begins to fade in the north. Aston Villa will be wary of that and, as they try and find a way of playing, Unai Emery’s pragmatism may well see the visitors try and simply see out the storm. However, the improvement they did show last week should give them confidence here and, perhaps riskily, it would take some going to back Hull to win three successive games at the start of a Premier League campaign – even if they do take the game to their opponents.

Hull vs Aston Villa tip: Aston Villa to win & both teams to score