Hull City V Manchester City Betting: Saturday, 6th Fabruary

Hull City V Manchester City

Saturday, 6^th February – 15:00 GMT

Hull City

League Position: 18th

Recent Form: DDLDD

The Hull camp will be full of confidence after recently holding the league leaders to a 1-1 draw at The KC stadium – The venue for this encounter with mega-rich Manchester City. You know you’ve got one of the toughest jobs in the world when you’re having to plot a plan to halt both Chelsea & Man City within the space of a week but were Phil Brown to help Hull earn another point on Saturday, if not more, than it will give the players a huge boost in self-belief as the club head into a crucial part of the season where these final months will decide whether or not Hull have what it takes to avoid the drop for the second season running.

It was a surprise to tune in and see Hull holding Chelsea to just a draw on Tuesday night but it was more surprising to see the Tigers giving Chelsea a thorough examination especially in defence. Chelsea did spend the majority of the game on the attack but Hull weren’t just content with sitting back and defending for the full 90 minutes – No, the Tigers gave as good as they got when they did stride forward and they did actually create half-a-dozen decent opportunities to score more than their solitary one on the night. It was a sight to behold if we’re honest as it was just like watching Hull in the early part of last season when Phil Brown’s side were in ruthless form in front of goal and springing surprises every other weekend. Perhaps this stunning draw with the potential champions could help Hull transform back into the Hull of old.

Back to reality and the fact of the matter is that the impressive display at home to Chelsea was a rare good performance from Hull as they’ve generally been one of thee poorest outfits in the Premiership this season and have given just about everyone the impression that were they to avoid the drop then it will be some achievement. After all, Hull are still relegation occupants, sat in 18^th position in the table, and are still without a league win since the end of November. A run of ten games without a victory to celebrate and a poor streak which backs up their solid claims for relegation.

Hull’s valiant display on Tuesday night has thrown a spanner in the works as, had they of rolled over like many of us had expected, City probably would be our firm favourites on Saturday. However, Hull actually found quite a bit of space against Chelsea and didn’t find it too hard to create chances. Now, City’s defence has improved greatly, even in the short space of time Roberto Mancini has been at the club, but it still needs a lot of work and were Hull to play in the same manner which seen them give Chelsea a few scares then perhaps we have more of a game on our hands than we first imagined.

Manchester City

League Position: 6th

Recent Form: WWWLW

Man City got the result they set out for last Sunday but their performance at The City of Manchester was far from pleasing and it was the biggest indication yet that the Italian still has plenty of work on his hands, despite this early spell of success he is enjoying at the City helm. That victory over Portsmouth did, however, make up for their defeat in their last outing in the league – Losing 2-0 at Everton, but more importantly it kept the pressure on those chasing a top four finish as City now tower over their rivals with games in hand.

Roberto Mancini will have been pleased with the final result on Saturday, winning 2-0 at home to Portsmouth, and with Emmanuel Adebayor’s goalscoring contribution after the Togo internationals torrid experience earlier in the month in Africa. But, However, City weren’t at their scintillating best, not the impressive sort of displays we’ve been used to seeing of them in recent home appearances. They took their chances well, which so they should considering their attacking line had a £100M+ revamp over the summer, but it was in their defence where the problems arose, once again, and their defensive niggles, which appeared to have almost disappeared from sight, have unfortunately cropped up for all to see once again.

The big positive from their defeat of Portsmouth was the fact they kept their seventh clean sheet of the season and their third in six league games. However, they were fortunate to come away with a to NIL victory as Portsmouth had several clear openings to score but spurred some glorious opportunities early on, chances that would have put the South Coast side into the lead at Eastlands. Mancini’s men were let off the hook in that fixture but now he will be ecstatic with his next venture – An away fixture with Hull City as it’s an ideal opportunity to wrap up yet another victory against another relegation candidate, while there’s every possibility that another City clean sheet could be in the offing.

With City still lagging behind the Champions League spots, albeit with a few games in hand, It’s imperative they keep the pressure on the likes of Tottenham & Liverpool as were City to win their games in hand they would hold all the aces in the race to finish fourth. With their Carling Cup adventure now a thing of the past, all City have to be concerned with is finishing fourth and the FA Cup, while their demise in the League Cup could be a blessing in the disguise in the long run. However, as far as the omens in this game go, City might not be the shoe-in so many think they should be. City’s only away win in NINE came at Molineux, not the most intimidating of arenas, while they were comfortably beaten at Goodison Park in their last away outing, losing 2-0 to Everton.

As well as defensive flaws, Mancini also has to fix City’s away issues and the quick fix-up could be a victory at The KC stadium. Three points would keep them in touching distance of their seasonal objective (Top Four) but it would also enhance their confidence heading into their next away fixture as a victory over the Tigers would be City’s second in as many away games. Still, City’s away record this season has been poor and considering their price isn’t all that, we feel City, even in this fairly easy looking fixture, are best left well alone

Match Verdict: Draw – 3.60 bWin

We were seriously considering backing City but, after careful deliberation and the fact we want City to slip up, we will actually choose the draw as Hull set out to stretch their unbeaten run in the league to three games, although a draw would make it three successive home draws for the Tigers which is bad news for their bid to avoid relegation by passing up home games. City, however, have their sights set firmly on finishing above 17 other teams and they will know, what with this season being one of the most competitive for years, that they can’t afford to slip up, especially in a fixture such as this which does look very winnable on paper. Still, the difference for us isn’t the gulf in quality between the two but instead their very last results in that Hull will take more out of their draw with Chelsea than City will out of their routine home win over Portsmouth in which City were found wanting at the back in that encounter. It wil require another big display from the Tigers but we’re backing a draw in this fixture.

Match Odds:

Hull City – 5.50 Bet365

Draw – 3.60 bWin

Manchester City – 1.75 Expekt

SoccerBetting Value Pick: BOTH teams to SCORE (Yes) – 1.85 bWin