Hull City make their return to the Premier League against 20-time top-flight winners Manchester United on the opening weekend of the 2026/27 season.
After defeating Millwall 2-0 over two legs in the 2025/26 Championship play-off semi-finals, the Tigers prepared for a Wembley Stadium clash against Southampton, only to later find out that they would meet Middlesbrough in the capital after the Saints were expelled from the play-offs for breaching regulations related to the unauthorised filming of other clubs’ training.
In spite of limited preparation against their eventual opponents, a 95th minute goal from Oli McBurnie narrowly saw Hull over the line, ensuring a return top the Premier League for the first time since the 2016/17 campaign.
There is a sense of optimism at Man Utd after the club rewarded Michael Carrick with a two-year contract as head coach, but there's an overarching sense that a big summer transfer window is necessary if they are to fight on all fronts next campaign.
The 2026/27 campaign will mark a return to the UEFA Champions League for the Red Devils too, with Carrick steering the club to a convincing third-place finish after succeeding Ruben Amorim on an interim basis.
Newly-promoted Sunderland and Leeds United both made use of home advantage in Gameweek 1 of the 2025/26 Premier League season, beating West Ham and Everton respectively, and Hull will hope that the backing of the MKM Stadium will give them the edge over Man Utd.
The Tigers' record against the North West outfit in the top-flight is rather uninspiring however, losing nine and drawing one of ten games against the Red Devils in the Premier League.
While Man Utd's third-place finish in 2025/26 was a marked improvement on both their 2023/24 and 2024/25 seasons, a club of their stature aspire to win the major honours and victory against Hull on the opening weekend could kick-start a promising season as they look to rival Arsenal, Manchester City and Liverpool.
Carrick's side are 4/9 to overcome Hull, while Sergej Jakirovic's outfit are 5/1 to commence their season with three points.
Hull City v Manchester United Odds
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