The first 12.30pm BST kick-off of the season sees Premier League new boys Hull City face Manchester United at the MKM Stadium.
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TEAM NEWS
Eight of Hull’s starting XI came up with them from the Championship.
So, even though the Tigers are into double figures for summer signings, only three get their full competitive debuts today: Konstantinos Tzolakis, Nobel Mendy and Elliot Stroud.
Mendy for fellow recent capture Jens Hjerto-Dahl is the only change from Hull’s final pre-season friendly.
It also presumably means that Sergej Jakirovic is going with a wing-back system, a formation we hadn’t seen over the summer but one he occasionally turned to in the Championship in 2025/26.
£4.5m FPL midfielders Charlie Slater and Matt Crooks start in the engine room.
And there are five £4.0m defenders on show, including the aforementioned Mendy.
As for the visitors, the big surprise is the no-show of Amad Diallo. He has a “niggle”, according to the BBC’s Simon Stone.
Amad being assessed acc to Michael Carrick. Picked up niggle at end of week. Club hope he is back soon but not clear at moment.
— Simon Stone (@sistoney67) August 22, 2026
Again, compared to United’s closing friendly of the summer, there is one tweak.
Bryan Mbeumo, benched in the defeat to AC Milan, comes in for Amad.
The Ivorian winger’s absence paves the way for Matheus Cunha to keep his place, too.
Benjamin Sesko and Karl Darlow make the bench, despite missing the whole of the Red Devils’ pre-season programme.
Also among the substitutes is Marcus Rashford, who was last in a competitive United squad in December 2024.
LINE-UPS
Hull City XI: Tzolakis, Mendy, Egan, Ajayi, Coyle, Crooks, Slater, Giles, Stroud, Belloumi, McBurnie.
Subs: Phillips, Millar, Hjerto-Dahl, McNair, Drameh, Herrington, Targett, Dowell, Gourna-Douath.
Manchester United XI: Lammens, Mazraoui, Maguire, Heaven, Shaw, Santos, Tielemans, Mbeumo, Fernandes, Dorgu, Cunha.
Subs: Darlow, Dalot, Martinez, Rashford, Zirkzee, Yoro, Sesko, Lacey, Mainoo.
