Hull City vs Southampton Match Preview – Championship 2025/26 | Form, Injuries, Lineups and Prediction
Hull vs Southampton Match Preview: Southampton travel to face off against Hull City — a fixture both sides will view as a chance to rekindle some form, as we head into the depths of the Championship season. Sitting at 15th, the Saints will be eager to change their current situation and make their way up the table.
Hull, who sit 20th, will focus on igniting some defensive stability, having already conceded eleven goals thus far.
Current Form
Manager Sergej Jakirović has guided the tigers to a solid five points. With hard fought draws against Swansea and Coventry, alongside a crucial 3-2 win over Oxford, they’ll be aiming to elevate themselves and provide a comfortable gap from the bottom three. However, Hull haven’t kept a clean sheet since opening day, going on to concede an average of over two goals per game.
Southampton have yet to dominate a full 90 minutes this season. From initially falling short against Wrexham to missing key chances against Stoke, leading to their only loss as of yet. Head Coach Will Still will be keen to address this issue, especially after their goalless draw against rivals Portsmouth.
Head-to-Head Record
Historically, Southampton have had the upper hand in this fixture, winning 25 times to Hull’s 16, with 21 draws. However, while they once enjoyed a run of six straight victories, the Saints have only come out on top in one of the last four meetings.
Injury News & Suspensions
Hull City
- Eliot Matazo – Crucial Ligament Injury
- Liam Miller – Knee Injury
- Matt Crooks – Ankle Injury
- Ajayi – Hamstring Injury
Southampton
- Cameron Archer – Hamstring Injury, Doubtful
- Flynn Downes – Illness, Doubtful
- Samuel Edozie – Knock, Doubtful
- Welington – Ankle Injury
Manager Quotes
Sergej Jakirović (Hull City)
The Bosnian manager was full of praise for Southampton and their boss, Will Still. “Well, he’s a manager I’ve got huge respect for,” he said. “They’re a fantastic team in the Championship; they’ve got a good spine with good experienced centre-backs in Stephens, Harwood-Bellis, and Flynn Downes, who’s a top midfielder with Shea Charles alongside, and they’ve got great options in the forward areas.”
Will Still (Southampton)
“Rome wasn’t built in a day. And Rome wasn’t built on sliding grounds or a load of rubble, which is what last season has done here. We’re picking people back up, we’re building things. It looks a bit messy at times and everything’s not right, but there’s also a sense of calm and clarity as to where we want to go.”
Predicted Lineups
Hull City (4-2-3-1): Pandur; Coyle, Egan, Hughes, Giles; Hadziahmetovic, Lundstram; Akintola, Gelhardt, Joseph; McBurnie
Southampton (4-2-3-1): Bazunu; Roerslev, Stephens, Harwood-Bellis, Manning; Jander, Charles; Fellows, Azaz, Robinson; Stewart
Key Battles
Stephens/Harwood-Bellis vs McBurnie – The Southampton pair showed strong defensive strengths last week against Portsmouth but will need to maintain and improve that against the former Sheffield United bagsman.
Midfield – Both sides are likely to play a similar formation with two central midfielders playing pivotal roles, and whoever wins this physical yet technical battle in the middle of the park will look strongest in build-up and transitional play.
Robinson vs Coyle – With the Saints lacking creativity, academy graduate Jay Robinson has been superb in filling that void. If he can come out on top in this duel, Hull will have problems with the 18-year-old.
Predicted Scoreline
Hull 0-1 Southampton
Neither side looks ready to steamroll a team yet, which is why the game will be closely contested but quite open, with both of them carving out chances. The Saints will be focusing on finding that balance between their defensive qualities displayed last week and implementing better quality chances than previously.
Hull have shown plenty of grit and determination to grind out results, but they could struggle to sustain that against the quality and depth Southampton possesses, both on the pitch and from the bench.
About The Author
