Match Information
Our pre-match preview Written before kick-off — see what we expected from this match
Match Overview
Hull City host Brentford at the MKM Stadium on October 25 in Premier League Regular Season - Round 8, a matchday that gives the season a clearer shape. Hull City sit ninth in the table and Brentford sixth, so the visitors arrive three places higher in a tightly bunched part of the standings.
Recent league form is the most revealing factor. Hull City have gone winless in their last four Premier League matches, drawing 2-2 with Chelsea on September 12, losing 2-1 at Newcastle on September 19, drawing 2-2 with Everton on October 11 and losing 1-0 at Fulham on October 17. That is two points from a possible twelve. Brentford have a similar number of league draws and defeats but also a notable win: a 3-0 home victory over Chelsea on September 18. They drew 2-2 at Bournemouth on September 12 and 2-2 at Aston Villa on October 10, then lost 2-1 at home to Liverpool on October 17. Brentford have scored in each of their last four league games, while Hull City failed to score in their most recent one.
The head-to-head record adds context. Of the eight meetings listed, Hull City won four, Brentford won two and two were drawn. Brentford's two wins were heavy ones, 5-1 on February 23, 2019 and 5-1 away on February 1, 2020. Hull City's most recent win in the fixture came on December 15, 2018, a 2-0 home victory.
Neither club has any reported unavailable players, so both managers, S. Jakirović and Keith Andrews, should have full squads to choose from. That means Hull City can field the same back five and attacking structure used at Fulham, and Brentford can lean on the 4-2-3-1 shape from their last outing.
With both sides arriving off league defeats on October 17, this fixture offers each a chance to reset. Hull City are looking to end a winless run, while Brentford want to keep pace in the upper half.
Predicted Lineups
Hull City
Tzolakis; Coyle, Ajayi, Egan, Herrington, Norton-Cuffy; Belloumi, Crooks, Slater, Thomas; McBurnie
Brentford
Kelleher; Kayode, Ajer, van den Berg, Lewis-Potter; Yarmolyuk, Janelt; Ouattara, Jensen, Anthony; Thiago
Team Form Analysis
Hull City
League Position: 9Hull City Form Analysis
Hull City's recent form shows a team that has struggled for results. Across their last four Premier League matches they have two draws and two defeats, collecting two points. They also lost 1-0 at Sunderland in the League Cup Round of 32 on September 8, which is relevant mainly as part of an early-season schedule.
Attacking output has been modest. Hull City scored twice in the 2-2 draws against Chelsea on September 12 and Everton on October 11, once in the 2-1 loss at Newcastle on September 19, and not at all in the 1-0 defeat at Fulham on October 17. That is five league goals in four games.
Defensively, they have conceded in every one of those league matches, six goals in total. Three of the four games were decided by a single goal or ended level, which suggests narrow margins rather than heavy defeats. Three of those four matches were also away from home.
The opposition has been demanding, including Chelsea, Newcastle, Everton and Fulham. Their only home league game in this run, the draw with Everton, was their most productive attacking display alongside the Chelsea match. Hull City will hope to build on that at the MKM Stadium.
Brentford
League Position: 6Brentford Form Analysis
Brentford's recent results are mixed but show consistent goal-scoring. In the Premier League they have a win, two draws and a defeat across their last four matches. The win was a 3-0 home victory over Chelsea on September 18, the standout result of the run.
They also drew 2-2 at Bournemouth on September 12 and 2-2 at Aston Villa on October 10, both away from home, before losing 2-1 to Liverpool at home on October 17. In between, Brentford won 2-1 at Reading in the League Cup Round of 32 on September 15, a fixture that is context for their schedule rather than anything more.
Attacking output stands out: eight league goals in four matches, an average of two per game, and they scored in every one of them. Defensively, they conceded in three of the four league games, including two goals in each of the draws and the Liverpool defeat. Only the Chelsea match was a clean sheet.
The quality of opposition has been high. Chelsea, Bournemouth, Aston Villa and Liverpool are all demanding opponents, and Brentford took five points from those four league matches. They travel to Hull City with a sixth-place standing and an attack that has found the net consistently.
Head-to-Head
Hull City
Brentford
Recent Meetings
| Date | Home | Score | Away |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020-02-01 | Hull City | 1 - 5 | Brentford |
| 2019-08-17 | Brentford | 1 - 1 | Hull City |
| 2019-02-23 | Brentford | 5 - 1 | Hull City |
| 2018-12-15 | Hull City | 2 - 0 | Brentford |
| 2018-05-06 | Brentford | 1 - 1 | Hull City |
| 2017-12-09 | Hull City | 3 - 2 | Brentford |
| 2016-04-26 | Hull City | 2 - 0 | Brentford |
| 2015-11-03 | Brentford | 0 - 2 | Hull City |
Memorable Matches
The most eye-catching meetings in the recent record are the two heavy Brentford wins. On February 23, 2019 Brentford won 5-1 at home, and on February 1, 2020 they repeated the scoreline with a 5-1 victory at Hull City, a result that stands out as the most recent meeting in the data.
Hull City have had their moments too. On December 9, 2017 they won a seven-goal-style contest in the sense of a close finish, taking a 3-2 home victory. They also won 2-0 at home on December 15, 2018, and earlier recorded 2-0 wins on April 26, 2016 and November 3, 2015, the latter away at Brentford.
Draws on May 6, 2018 and August 17, 2019, both 1-1, complete a series in which Hull City hold a slight edge across the eight listed matches.
Venue Factor
The MKM Stadium hosts this Round 8 fixture, and Hull City's home form this season is limited to one Premier League match in the data provided: a 2-2 draw with Everton on October 11. That result shows the home side can score in
Injury Concerns
Hull City
Brentford
