Chelsea vs Hull City: Prediction, Team News, Odds & Where to Watch

Date & Time: Saturday, 12 September 2026 | 14:00 GMT / 15:00 BST / 10:00 AM ET

Venue: Stamford Bridge, London

Broadcast/Streaming: Not selected for live UK television coverage — check international/streaming listings for availability in your region

After two entertaining wins, Chelsea were brought back down to earth with a 2-1 defeat away to champions and London rivals Arsenal, but bounced back with a spectacular midweek victory over Leeds United.

Hull, promoted after a decade away from the top flight, have made an eye-catching start of their own, built firmly on defensive solidity rather than fireworks. 

History leans heavily towards the hosts. Chelsea have won 12 and remain unbeaten in 14 meetings with Hull since 2007, including six straight Premier League victories in this exact fixture dating back to 2013-14. 

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Chelsea have scored nine goals in their opening three league matches and followed that with six more against Leeds — Hull's disciplined defence faces a serious attacking test at Stamford Bridge.

Palmer boasts an outstanding record against newly-promoted sides — 15 goal involvements in 15 Premier League appearances against them (9 goals, 6 assists) — and is set to return to the starting XI after his midweek heroics.

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Chelsea welcome Premier League surprise package Hull City to Stamford Bridge off the back of a wild midweek comeback, having recovered from two goals down to beat Leeds United 6-3 in the Carabao Cup, Cole Palmer scoring twice in as many minutes to spark the turnaround. 

That result offered a timely response after they suffered their first defeat of the season, a 2-1 loss at Arsenal that extended Chelsea's winless run against their London rivals to 12 matches.

Xabi Alonso's side have shown they can win in contrasting styles — comfortable early-season victories built on attacking fluency, and their gritty fightback against Leeds that showcased genuine squad depth and mentality. 

Palmer's record against promoted opposition specifically makes him the standout individual threat here, and with Joao Pedro leading the line and Morgan Rogers and Pedro Neto offering further creative support, Chelsea's attacking options look considerably stronger than the version that struggled at times last season. 

The one concern is defensive fitness — Moises Caicedo and Marco Palestra are both doubts, while Jordan Henderson and Emmanuel Emegha remain unavailable, though Levi Colwill has had fitness fears allayed and could continue in a back three.

Sergej Jakirovic has built his side's early success on defensive discipline above all else.

This approach has yielded a shock 2-0 win over Manchester United, a narrow 1-0 win over fellow promoted side Coventry City and a battling point against Aston Villa – albeit with just 0.57 xG in that goalless draw – before a first defeat of the season arrived in the Carabao Cup against Sunderland.

They now arrive in West London seeking to preserve their unbeaten Premier League start against a side they haven't faced in the top flight since January 2017.

However, the Sunderland defeat – in which Hull registered just one shot on target – offers a cautionary tale about their attacking limitations against stronger opposition, a concern that looms large against a Chelsea side capable of scoring goals in bunches.

Nobel Mendy has been a near-ever-present in a back three alongside Semi Ajayi and John Egan, and his regular half-time substitutions this season have been confirmed as tactical management rather than injury concerns. 

A lengthy injury list, including goalkeeper Jack Butland and midfielders Darko Gyabi and Hidemasa Morita, further stretches Jakirovic's resources for this trip.

The last competitive meeting, back in January 2017, saw goals from Diego Costa and Gary Cahill seal a 2-0 win for Chelsea en route to that season's title.

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Chelsea's dominance of this fixture has been emphatic in the modern era — 12 wins and no defeats in their last 14 meetings with Hull since 2007, including six consecutive Premier League victories stretching back to the start of the 2013-14 season. 

The two sides haven't met in the top flight since that January 2017 encounter, when Chelsea were en route to lifting the title.

Chelsea pair Jordan Henderson (wrist) and Emmanuel Emegha (muscle) are still recovering from injuries, while Moises Caicedo and Marco Palestra remain doubtful with unspecified issues.

Alonso has allayed injury fears over Levi Colwill following the midweek win over Leeds, and the defender is expected to battle with Maxence Lacroix, Josh Acheampong and Wesley Fofana for a start in the back three.

After registering four assists as a second-half substitute against Leeds, Morgan Rogers is expected to earn a recall in attack. Chelsea’s club-record signing has either scored (two) or assisted (one) in all three of his top-flight appearances for the Blues.

Cole Palmer is also expected to start after netting a brace in the EFL Cup, and is set to provide support for central striker Joao Pedro.

Ilyas Ansah (back), Jack Butland (shoulder), Elliot Matazo (knee), Darko Gyabi (thigh), Charlie Hughes and Hidemasa Morita (both groin) all remain sidelined with injuries, while Tim Iroegbunam (groin), Brooke Norton-Cuffy (calf) and Paddy McNair (foot) will be assessed ahead of kickoff.

For the fourth time this season, Nobel Mendy was substituted in midweek, coming off at half time against Sunderland.

However, Jakirovic allayed any injury fears by confirming post-match that his withdrawal was planned, and the summer signing could therefore start alongside Semi Ajayi and John Egan in the back three.

Oscar Zambrano has recovered from a hamstring issue, but he has been omitted from Hull's 25-man Premier League squad.

Matt Crooks, Lucas Gourna-Douath, Christos Mouzakitis and Jens Hjerto-Dahl will therefore battle for a place alongside Regan Slater in midfield.

Oli McBurnie could make his 100th Premier League appearance in this match. The striker is yet to score this term, but he has made 258 high-intensity pressures in the top flight, a whopping 74 more than any other player in the division.

Martinez; Acheampong, Lacroix, Colwill; Neto, James, Lavia, Hato; Rogers, Palmer; Pedro

Tzolakis; Ajayi, Egan, Mendy; Coyle, Slater, Gourna-Douath, Giles; Belloumi, Stroud; McBurnie

Chelsea 3-0 Hull City

Hull's defensive solidity has served them well against Manchester United and Aston Villa, but Chelsea's attacking quality — freshly reinforced by a confidence-boosting comeback win over Leeds — should prove too much at Stamford Bridge. 

Expect Cole Palmer to continue his outstanding record against promoted opposition as Chelsea end Hull's unbeaten start in convincing fashion.

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