Hull City v Manchester United: Premier League 2026-27 preview, team news and prediction

Hull City will host Manchester United at the MKM Stadium on Saturday, August 22 in the opening round of the Premier League 2026-27, marking Hull’s first top-flight campaign since 2016-17. Manchester United begin the season under Michael Carrick, who was appointed permanent manager after guiding the club to third place last season.

Hull secured promotion via the Championship playoffs last season, defeating Middlesbrough in the final after finishing the regular season inside the playoff positions. Manchester United return to the Champions League this term. The fixture has been framed as an early test of how quickly both teams can adjust to the demands of the new campaign, with Hull aiming to use home advantage and United seeking three points to start the season.

Oli McBurnie is expected to lead Hull’s attack after scoring 19 goals last season and playing a decisive role in the club’s promotion run. The striker is positioned as one of Hull’s primary offensive threats for their return to the Premier League.

Bruno Fernandes is identified as Manchester United’s chief creative outlet; he recorded 21 Premier League assists last season, a new single-season record, and is set to be central to Carrick’s attacking plans. Those numbers underline United’s reliance on Fernandes for chance creation going into the opener.

Hull will be missing Eliot Matazo, Darko Gyabi, Jack Butland, Oscar Zambrano, Charlie Hughes, Joe Gelhardt and Hidemasa Morita for the match; Matazo is recovering from a serious knee injury, Gyabi has a groin problem and Butland is sidelined after elbow surgery, while Zambrano, Hughes, Gelhardt and Morita are out with thigh, groin, ankle and calf injuries respectively. Cody Drameh and Matty Jacob are listed as major doubts with thigh and hip issues; Drameh has returned to training and could make the squad, whereas Jacob requires an assessment before his availability is decided. Hull have no suspended players for the fixture.

Manchester United face their own injury concerns: Manuel Ugarte is ruled out because of an injury suffered during the World Cup, while Karl Darlow, Mason Mount and Tom Heaton look set to miss the opener due to injury. Matthijs de Ligt and Benjamin Sesko have returned to team training, and Lisandro Martinez and Kobbie Mainoo are expected to begin the match on the bench due to lack of fitness.

Khel Now’s match prediction is Hull City 0-2 Manchester United. In the UK the game will be broadcast on Sky Sports and TNT Sports. The match between Hull City and Manchester United will be played on August 22 at the MKM Stadium in Hull, England.