[2026–27 English Premier League] Fulham vs Hull City: Match Preview Kick-off: October 17, 14:00 UTC
Fulham and Hull City meet at Craven Cottage in London on October 17 for the seventh round of the 2026–27 Premier League season. Fulham are bottom after six matches without a win, though they have shown they can create chances at home. Newly promoted Hull are eighth, but the chances they have allowed suggest they are less secure than their position indicates.
1. Match overview and team form
League standings and points: Fulham 20th, 2 points; Hull City 8th, 9 points Records after six matches: Fulham 0 wins, 2 draws, 4 losses; Hull City 2 wins, 3 draws, 1 loss Goals for and against: Fulham 6 and 10; Hull City 8 and 6 Home and away records: Fulham at home, 1 draw and 2 losses; Hull City away, 1 win, 1 draw and 1 loss
Fulham have made their worst start to a top-flight season since 1951–52, according to the club on October 15. Reports have suggested Alvaro Arbeloa's future could depend on the Hull match and the following away game against Coventry City. Those reports also said the club still backs its manager, but Fulham's need for points is clear. Newly promoted Hull, meanwhile, have taken 9 points from their opening six league games. Manager Sergej Jakirovic said Hull would look to use the pressure on Fulham to their advantage, according to the Yorkshire Post on October 15.
Fulham's winless run is difficult to explain as a lack of attacking threat alone. They created plenty of chances at home against Crystal Palace but lost 3-2, then lost 2-1 away to Ipswich Town despite leading the shots and expected goals. All six of Fulham's league goals this season came before the 64th minute. They led Manchester United in the 63rd minute but conceded an equaliser in the 89th. Against Ipswich, they scored first in the 55th minute, then conceded in the 88th minute and stoppage time. In both matches, the players carrying the ball were substituted after Fulham took the lead, and the team could not keep the ball up front. After the Ipswich game, Arbeloa admitted Fulham should have kept possession better, according to the club on October 10.
Hull have not won any of their last five competitive matches, though they drew with Chelsea and Everton during that spell. Goalkeeper Konstantinos Tzolakis made saves, and opponents missed chances, as Hull kept three consecutive league clean sheets to start the season. They have conceded six goals across their last three league games. At Newcastle United, they let in two goals in the opening seven minutes. After taking the lead against Everton, they did not press the side in possession aggressively enough, in Jakirovic's assessment. Hull have yet to prove they can protect a lead either.
The sides have different attacking approaches. Arbeloa's Fulham use a 4-2-3-1, pushing their full-backs forward while Alex Iwobi and Joshua King receive the ball inside. Jakirovic's Hull defend in a 5-4-1, keeping numbers in front of the box, then look for long passes to Oliver McBurnie when they win the ball back. Hull have the league's lowest possession share this season at 32.3%, and the highest proportion of long passes, according to Sports Mole on October 16. Both sides are used to Fulham having plenty of the ball, though whether that possession turns into goals is another matter.
Team news Hull City: Nobel Mendy is out, reducing their height in central defence and at attacking set pieces Hull City: Mohamed Ali Cho and Lukić Gurnaduat are out, leaving fewer options for midfield and second-half attacking changes Fulham: Antonee Robinson could feature, giving them the chance to push forward down the left again
Nineteen-year-old Lucas Herrington is expected to replace Mendy. Hull scored a significant share of their goals from set pieces early in the season, and Mendy also scored a header on opening day. His absence affects their defending as well as their attacking set pieces. Cho scored a late goal after coming on against Newcastle United. Mohamed Belloumi came off the bench to equalise against Everton and is expected to return to the starting line-up, so Hull's second-half attack will depend more on the starters' fitness and the substitutes still available.
Robinson's return would give Fulham another option down the left. They will also need to manage the space behind them when he pushes forward and the full-back on the other side joins the attack. Crystal Palace repeatedly got in behind Fulham's right side. The head-to-head record offers little guidance: Fulham have won their last four meetings without conceding, but the most recent was in the 2023 FA Cup, with different managers and squads.
2. Match-up analysis
Fulham's first target should be the space between Hull's central midfielders and defenders. When Hull drop into a 5-4-1, Matt Crooks and Regan Slater have to deal with Fulham's attacking midfielders moving inside. After the Newcastle United defeat, Jakirovic said his team had failed to control the space between defence and midfield. If Iwobi and King can receive the ball there and turn, they can look for a pass to Gonzalo Garcia or take a shot themselves.
Hull can respond by having a centre-back step out to pressure the player on the ball, or a midfielder drop back to protect the area in front of the box. If that works, Fulham could keep possession for long spells but end up taking repeated shots that defenders block. Away at Sunderland, Fulham had 58% possession but seven of their nine shots were blocked, and none were on target, according to Data Centre. Meanwhile, Hull's expected goals against has been at least 1.29 in each of their four league matches for which the figure is available this season. We should consider both the likelihood of Fulham getting close to the box and the possibility that Hull will not shut down every chance.
Set pieces offer Fulham another route to goal. Their opener against Ipswich came when Ryan Sessegnon shot from a loose ball after Iwobi's corner. With Mendy out, Hull lose a defender who contests the first ball. For Fulham to score from corners, they will need to attack the second ball as well as compete for the initial delivery. Tzolakis's shot-stopping is another factor. Fulham have scored fewer goals than their expected goals total in all five league matches where that figure is available. Their ability to create chances supports the case for an opener, but that record does not tell us when it will come.
Hull's attacks begin with the first pass towards McBurnie. If he can compete with a centre-back and Hull win the second ball, Belloumi and the wide players can run in behind Fulham's full-backs. Coventry's winner away from home also came on the counter: substitute Liam Miller ran onto Belloumi's forward pass and scored. If Sander Berge and Shea Charles collect the loose balls first, Hull will have fewer attacks. If they do not, Hull can reach Fulham's penalty area with just a few passes.
This contest could become even more important if Fulham take the lead. Against Manchester United, they brought on a defender for King and then struggled to link play up front. They also spent more time clearing the ball from their own half after making several substitutions against Ipswich. If Hull win that ball, they can keep sending McBurnie into duels and attack down the wings. Hull have scored after falling behind against Chelsea, Newcastle United and Everton. Cho, who featured in those comebacks, is out, while Belloumi is expected to start, so we cannot assume Hull will have the same impact from the bench as in those matches.
Even if Fulham score first, the match is unlikely to move in only one direction. If Hull push forward for an equaliser, Fulham can attack the space behind their wide defenders. If Arbeloa keeps King and the ball carriers on the pitch to play through Hull's press, Fulham could add a second. If Hull take the lead, Fulham will need to find a way through a defence set up to protect the area in front of the box, while also guarding against counter-attacks as their full-backs push forward. Whoever scores first, how they keep the ball afterwards and handle the opponent's response will have a greater effect on the result.
3. Verdict and prediction
Our predicted score is Fulham 1-1 Hull City. Fulham are likely to take the lead by finding Iwobi and King in the space between Hull's midfield and defence, and by targeting the box with set pieces while Mendy is out. But if they retreat and take off the players who carry the ball after going ahead, as they did against Manchester United and Ipswich, Hull can look for a second-half equaliser through McBurnie's duels and the loose balls that follow. After an equaliser, we expect Hull to keep numbers back while Fulham try to find a second goal against Tzolakis and a crowded defence.
The market leans towards a home win on the strength of Fulham's chance creation and Hull's absentees. Those are valid reasons, but Fulham's substitutions and game management have cost them 8 points after taking the lead this season, which makes a win less likely. Hull have also struggled to hold leads, and with fewer attacking options for the second half, a close game with a goal each looks more likely than an away comeback. This view could change if Arbeloa keeps King and the ball carriers on the pitch after Fulham go ahead, helping them retain possession and reducing Hull's route to a second-half equaliser.
