The Premier League is three matchweeks in and Aston Villa travel to the MKM Stadium on 5 September 2026 with nothing on the board: no points, no goals and a high pressing promoted side waiting for them. Hull City, up via the 2025/26 Championship playoffs, sit third on six points having beaten Manchester United 2-0 on opening day. Villa are 19th, beaten by Brighton and Arsenal in succession, goalless across both games and the pressure falls squarely on Emery to stop it getting worse.
Sergej Jakirović and Unai Emery haven't met before, which makes this something of a live experiment. Jakirović took the Hull job on 11 June 2025, replacing Rubén Sellés, while Emery has been at Villa since 1 November 2022 when he replaced Steven Gerrard. Without any prior tactical history between them, this will be settled by what actually happens on the pitch.
Hull have won both league games so far, including the 2-0 opening day result over Manchester United. Villa's start has been wretched: a 4-0 loss to Brighton, then a 1-0 defeat to Arsenal, with no goals and no points. The summer departures of Ezri Konsa and Ollie Watkins have thinned the squad at centre back and in attack and the evidence is in those 180 goalless minutes.
Hull are without Jack Butland (arm, elbow and shoulder) and Elliot Matazo (knee ACL), forcing changes to their defensive shape and midfield cover. Villa lose João Gomes to suspension following a red card, while Amadou Onana is out with an ACL injury, which strips the midfield of its defensive depth and leaves passing lanes more exposed than Emery would want.
Jakirović runs Hull at high intensity from a flexible shape that shifts to a back three when circumstances demand. Their set pieces have already produced goals this season: Oli McBurnie is the aerial target at corners, Regan Slater arrives late from midfield and Semi Ajayi contributes from defence. Butland's absence matters at crosses and in build up distribution, where a less commanding keeper could invite Villa to go long and aerial early rather than playing through the press.
Villa's midfield is badly thinned without Gomes and Onana. McGinn will carry the majority of the pressing and ball carrying work, while Buendía operates in the half spaces between Hull's midfield and defensive line, a position that suits him but demands real discipline against a side pressing as aggressively as Hull do. Jackson leads the line and will need to link play under sustained pressure from Hull's centre backs rather than wait on through ball service that may not arrive.
If Hull win the press and force Villa long, McBurnie and Slater can exploit second balls in dangerous areas around the box. If Villa can string passes through Hull's press and keep possession in their own half, Buendía's movement and Jackson's dragging of Hull's centre backs create space in behind. Hull's corner and free kick routines are a real danger for a Villa side whose aerial cover is already weakened by Onana's absence, conceding from a routine at this stage of their season would be a serious blow.
Villa have the better of this fixture historically but the most recent Premier League meeting, in 2015, went 2-0 to Hull. An organised promoted side with momentum has beaten Villa here before and Hull's current form means the table overstates the gap between these two sides.
Hull's set pieces have already scored this season and remain a threat, particularly from corners where McBurnie is a constant aerial problem for any defence. Onana's absence leaves a visible hole in Villa's coverage from dead balls. The early season pressure on Villa is acute: another blank would leave them in a genuinely alarming position going into matchweek four.
Villa to win 2-1. Emery's side should absorb Hull's press in the first half, with McGinn and Buendía working to retain possession and deny Hull the transitions they want. When Hull's press thins in the second half, Buendía's movement and Jackson's pulling of Hull's centre backs, who have limited top-flight experience as a pairing, should create the clearer openings. Hull will threaten from corners throughout and a goal from that route is entirely plausible but once the press fades Villa's numerical advantage in midfield should be enough to grind out the result.
Ryan Baldi
Football Writer
Ryan Baldi is a professional football writer with years of experience and has been featured by respected outlets such as the BBC, The Guardian, Sky Sports, DAZN, FourFourTwo, ESPN, Yahoo Sport and Football365. He has also written several books including Arsène Who?.
