Chelsea welcome Hull City to Stamford Bridge on Saturday afternoon as the Blues look to continue their strong start to the Premier League season.
Xabi Alonso’s side have picked up seven points from their opening three games and have already scored nine goals.
They have been entertaining, if not always particularly relaxing to watch.
Hull have also made an excellent start since returning to the Premier League. The Tigers are unbeaten after three games and have picked up seven points, including a goalless draw against Aston Villa.
There is one rather ridiculous stat following them into this one, too. Hull are the only team in England’s top four leagues yet to concede a goal this season.
Keeping that record intact at Stamford Bridge, however, could be their biggest test yet.
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What are the best picks for Chelsea vs Hull?
Chelsea to win by 2+ goals
Chelsea are favourites for a reason, and I am willing to be a little more aggressive here.
Hull have been excellent defensively, but Stamford Bridge is a different test to Manchester United, Coventry and Aston Villa.
Chelsea have already scored three against Fulham, four against Brighton and six against Leeds. They have plenty of attacking options and have shown they can overwhelm teams once they get going.
A Chelsea win by two or more goals looks worth taking at a bigger price than simply backing the home side.
Cole Palmer to score or assist
Palmer has started the season as one of Chelsea’s main attacking threats.
He has two Premier League goals already and was involved again during Wednesday’s comeback against Leeds.
Hull’s defensive record deserves respect, but Chelsea should have plenty of possession and attacking territory at Stamford Bridge.
If the Tigers sit deep, Palmer should get opportunities to test the goalkeeper or set up his teammates to do so.
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Hull to score 0 goals
This is the bold one.
Hull have not conceded a single goal in their first three Premier League games. Chelsea have conceded seven.
That makes this selection look slightly mad at first glance.
However, Hull have scored only twice in those three league games. Their impressive start has been built around keeping games tight rather than blowing teams away.
Chelsea will put far more pressure on their defence than Hull have faced so far. If the Blues score first, Hull may struggle to find a way back into the game.
It’s a bigger-risk selection, but that’s rather the point.
Where can I watch Chelsea vs Hull City?
Chelsea vs Hull City kicks off at 3pm BST on Saturday, September 12 at Stamford Bridge.
The match is subject to the usual UK Saturday 3pm blackout, so there is no live television coverage in the UK.
US viewers can watch the Premier League through NBC and Peacock.
What have the managers said?
Xabi Alonso
Alonso knows Chelsea need to improve defensively, but he wants his side to be aggressive.
After the defeat to Arsenal, he said:
“Today we didn’t want to sit deep from the first minute. We wanted to be active.”
Chelsea then produced another chaotic night against Leeds, recovering from 2-0 down to win 6-3 in the Carabao Cup. Alonso accepted responsibility for the slow start.
Sergej Jakirovic
Hull boss Sergej Jakirovic has plenty of reason to be pleased with his side’s start.
After the goalless draw with Aston Villa, he admitted Hull could even have taken all three points:
“We could have won, but they also had a few chances in the second half.”
Hull have now kept three consecutive Premier League clean sheets.
What is Chelsea’s predicted team?
(3-4-2-1) Penders; Colwill, Lacroix, Gusto; James, Lavia, Barco, Hato; Palmer, Neto; João Pedro.
Injured/doubtful: Moisés Caicedo (doubt), Marco Palestra (doubt), Jordan Henderson (injured).
Chelsea’s latest injury information lists Caicedo as doubtful, while Palestra and Henderson are also unavailable.
What is Hull City’s predicted team?
(4-2-3-1) Tzolakis; Coyle, Egan, Ajayi, Giles; Slater, Iroegbunam; Belloumi, Millar, Mendy; Gelhardt.
Injured/doubtful: Joe Gelhardt is a doubt, with several other squad players unavailable.
Hull have already shown they can defend effectively with a compact setup, so Jakirovic is unlikely to suddenly reinvent the wheel at Stamford Bridge.
Score prediction: Chelsea 2-0 Hull City
Hull’s defence has been superb so far, but this is their toughest test of the season by some distance.
Chelsea’s attack should eventually find a way through. The bigger question is whether Hull can keep their own clean-sheet run going.
I’m backing Chelsea to win, with Palmer heavily involved and Hull finally conceding their first Premier League goals of the campaign.
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