Hull City vs Aston Villa prediction tips and odds | 05/09/2026

Hull City host Aston Villa at the MKM Stadium on Saturday for a Premier League 2026-27 Gameweek 3 fixture that pits one of the division's early surprise packages against a reigning European champion still searching for its first point of the campaign.

Sergej Jakirovic's newly promoted Tigers arrive on the back of two clean-sheet wins to sit third in the table, while Unai Emery's side head north having lost both of their opening fixtures without registering a single shot on target between them.

Preview: Hull City vs Aston Villa

Hull have launched their Premier League return in the manner few pundits expected, opening the campaign with a 2-0 home win over Manchester United before backing that up with a 1-0 victory away at Coventry City.

Both results arrived with clean sheets attached, extending a defensive pattern that dates back to Jakirovic's Championship play-off run in May, when his side beat Middlesbrough 1-0 at Wembley after eliminating Millwall in the semi-finals.

Progress in the EFL Cup this month, courtesy of a penalty shoot-out win over Stoke City in the second round, has further built momentum around the East Yorkshire club heading into Gameweek 3, and readers can explore our ranking of best new UK gambling websites.

Nigeria centre-back Semi Ajayi has been central to that defensive resilience, and it was the 32-year-old who broke the deadlock against Manchester United, converting a rebound for his first top-flight goal since January 2021.

Ajayi has partnered John Egan and club-record signing Nobel Mendy at the heart of a back three that Jakirovic has trusted from the opening whistle, giving the Bosnian a settled platform on which to build.

Aston Villa's story could not be more different, with Emery's side heading into Gameweek 3 still without a single point on the board after a chastening 4-0 loss at Brighton and a narrow 1-0 defeat at home to reigning champions Arsenal.

The most damning statistic of the Midlands club's start is a return of zero shots on target across 180 Premier League minutes, a bracing number for a side that lifted the Europa League only months ago by beating Freiburg 3-0 in the final.

Emery's summer rebuild has been extensive following the departures of Emiliano Martinez, Ezri Konsa, Youri Tielemans, Morgan Rogers, Lucas Digne and Ollie Watkins, with the club-record £65m signing of Nicolas Jackson from Chelsea headlining a reshaped squad.

Zion Suzuki has taken over between the posts and Leon Goretzka brings fresh German expertise to midfield, while Matteo Ruggeri, Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Taylor Harwood-Bellis and deadline-day arrival Ibrahim Mbaye have added competition across the back line and the wide areas.

Leon Bailey completed a permanent move to Olympiacos as part of the summer clear-out, further trimming the wide-forward options available to Emery on Humberside.

Ross Barkley was among the few bright spots against Arsenal, though the veteran playmaker's starting place is under threat from Goretzka's arrival, and fuller reading is available across our best UK bookmakers for football betting guide.

Team news for Hull City vs Aston Villa

Hull City

Jakirovic still has several players unavailable, with goalkeeper Jack Butland, midfielders Eliot Matazo, Darko Gyabi and Oscar Zambrano and defender Charlie Hughes remaining sidelined.

Hidemasa Morita joins that roster with a calf issue that also kept him out of the Manchester United win, while Matt Crooks and Matty Jacob are doubts with quad and hip problems respectively.

Joe Gelhardt has returned to training after recovering from an ankle problem and comes into contention, while ex-Villa midfielder Tim Iroegbunam is one of six deadline-day arrivals who could make an early impression alongside fellow new signings Brooke Norton-Cuffy, Christos Mouzakitis, Robinio Vaz, Sorba Thomas and Ilyas Ansah.

Aston Villa

Emery is without Joao Gomes for the second game of a three-match Premier League suspension handed down for violent conduct against Brighton, ruling the Brazilian out of the trip to Hull and the visit of Nottingham Forest on 13 September.

Amadou Onana remains a long-term absentee after suffering an anterior cruciate ligament injury with Belgium at the 2026 World Cup, while Johan Manzambi remains sidelined with a knee injury but has returned to group training and is not expected to feature at the MKM Stadium.

Brian Madjo is also unavailable with an ankle problem targeting a 12 September return, while summer signing Leon Goretzka is a minor doubt working towards full match sharpness and may only make the bench.

Aaron Wan-Bissaka provides fresh competition for Matty Cash at right-back, while Matteo Ruggeri is pushing Ian Maatsen for the left-back berth and Taylor Harwood-Bellis is available should Emery want to shake up the central defensive pairing of Victor Lindelof and Pau Torres.

Hull City vs Aston Villa predicted lineups

Hull City (3-4-2-1): Tzolakis; Mendy, Egan, Ajayi; Giles, Iroegbunam, Slater, Coyle; Stroud, Belloumi; McBurnie

Aston Villa (4-2-3-1): Suzuki; Cash, Lindelof, Torres, Maatsen; Kamara, Barkley; Hemmings, Buendia, McGinn; Jackson

Hull City vs Aston Villa head-to-head

The two clubs have met 28 times across all competitions, with the visitors holding a commanding historical edge of 15 wins to the Tigers' three, and 10 draws splitting the remainder of the head-to-head record.

Saturday's fixture will be the first meeting between the sides since Hull's promotion, and it is also the first time the Midlands club have appeared at the MKM Stadium in any competition since the 2018-19 Championship season.

The last league encounter at Villa Park in January 2019 ended in a 2-2 draw after the earlier reverse fixture at the MKM Stadium in August 2018 finished 3-1 in the visitors' favour, and the tie has often been more competitive than the overall record suggests, with our list of top UK betting offers available ahead of kickoff.

Hull City vs Aston Villa prediction and betting tips