Hull City v Man Utd: Key stats and talking points

Hull City kick off a first Premier League campaign in nearly a decade by taking on 13-time winners Manchester United. BBC Sport examines some of the key themes going into the meeting at the MKM Stadium on Saturday. The Tigers are the first side to be promoted to the Premier League after finishing sixth in the Championship since Blackpool in 2010, having defeated Millwall and then Middlesbrough in the play-offs. Hull boss Sergej Jakirovic - the first Bosnian Premier League manager - will take on the challenge of keeping the newly promoted side in the top flight and to do so he may need to develop Hull's style of play. [BBC] Despite triumphing in the play-off final in May, Hull's underlying numbers last season were not those of an elite outfit. They had the fifth-fewest shots of any second-tier team in 2025-26, while only bottom club Sheffield Wednesday had a higher tally of expected goals against. Hull also faced the third-most shots (681), an unwelcome set of statistics that underline the club's status as favourites to return to the Championship. Hull, though, can take some solace from a solid opening-day record in the Premier League. They have triumphed in three of their five opening matches in the competition, defeating reigning champions Leicester City on their most recent appearance in 2016. This time round the Tigers take on a United team who have won their opening Premier League fixture on an unrivalled 22 occasions. [BBC] Carrick's men, boosted by new signings including midfielders Youri Tielemans and Andrey Santos, are facing promoted sides in their first two matches, with a home game against Ipswich Town to come, providing the Red Devils the perfect opportunity for a strong start following their third-place finish last season. Carrick has won four of his six managerial meetings with Hull (D1, L1) and is unbeaten in three visits to the MKM Stadium (W2, D1). United's manager will also be hoping that the form of Bruno Fernandes continues into this campaign as the club return to Champions League football. The club captain set a record for most assists in a Premier League campaign last season with 21, along with scoring nine goals – making Fernandes the first United player to be involved in 30 or more goals in two Premier League seasons.