They deserve to be where they are - Xabi Alonso praises Hull City

Chelsea manager Xabi Alonso has warned his players not to underestimate Hull City ahead of Saturday's Premier League clash at Stamford Bridge, insisting the newly promoted side has earned its impressive start to the season and will "fight with everything."

The Blues are looking to bounce back from a 2-1 defeat to Arsenal last weekend, with Alonso's side sitting fourth in the Premier League table, three points behind leaders Arsenal and Manchester City.

While Chelsea enter the match as favourites, Alonso believes Hull's performances this season prove they are capable of causing problems for any opponent.

Hull City have emerged as one of the early surprise packages of the new Premier League campaign.

The Tigers remain the only team across England's top four divisions yet to concede a league goal, a defensive record that has earned admiration from Chelsea's manager.

Asked whether Hull deserve their current position in the table, Alonso offered a straightforward response.

"Why not? They deserve to be where they are," Alonso said.

The Spaniard pointed to Hull's performances against strong opposition as evidence that their early-season success has been fully deserved.

He added, "They have played against United, Coventry and Villa, and they've done it really well. They've built a clear idea of what they want, how they want to compete. The mentality: they want to fight with everything."

Despite Chelsea's need to return to winning ways, Alonso made it clear that his team will approach Hull with the same level of seriousness they showed against the reigning champions.

He continued, "We go into tomorrow's game with the same respect as we did vs Arsenal. They will be hard to beat. They have the belief; the coach is doing a great job. It will be hard."