Hull City vs Ipswich Town: two promoted sides on 10 points meet at the MKM Stadium

Hull City host Ipswich Town on Saturday at 15:00 GMT at the MKM Stadium, with both promoted sides sitting on 10 points after eight games. It is the 1,456th different fixture in Premier League history, and both managers are chasing a first league win since August.

  • Kick-off: Saturday, 15:00 GMT, at the MKM Stadium
  • Competition: Premier League, matchweek nine
  • Points: Both Hull City and Ipswich Town have collected 10 from eight games
  • Milestone: The 1,456th different fixture played in the top flight
  • Hull's wait: 63 days since their last league win, against Coventry on 29 August
  • Ipswich's issue: 16 goals conceded in eight games and no clean sheet all season

The numbers

  • This is the first season since West Brom (12 points) and Blackpool (10) in 2010-11 that two promoted sides have reached 10 or more points after eight games.
  • Of the 402 Premier League teams to collect 10+ points from eight games, only 12 have been relegated. Among promoted teams specifically, a mere six of 33 have returned to the second tier, the last being Blackpool in 2011.
  • Hull have gone six top-flight matches without a victory (D4, L2) — the joint longest run along with Manchester United and Sunderland.
  • The Tigers are unbeaten in nine at the MKM Stadium in all competitions.
  • Hull have suffered 13 defeats on 31 October, the most of any side on Halloween in Football League history.
  • Ipswich have won a top-flight leading seven points from losing positions this season, three more than across the whole of their last Premier League campaign in 2024-25.
  • They also top the charts for goals scored while trailing, with six.
  • Only Crystal Palace (51.2%) have spent a greater percentage of games in a losing position this season than Ipswich's 46%.
  • Ipswich are one of only two sides, along with Manchester United, yet to keep a clean sheet. Their 27-game run without one is the longest since Watford went 30 matches between March 2020 and January 2022.
  • Ipswich's last top-flight shutout was a 2-0 win over Chelsea on 30 December 2024.
  • The only previous time Ipswich reached double figures in fewer matches across their six previous Premier League seasons was after five games in 1993-94.

Why Hull need a win, not another draw

Sergej Jakirovic has built a side that is awkward to beat but increasingly unable to close games out. Six matches without a top-flight win is a run shared with Manchester United and Sunderland, and it is 63 days since Coventry were beaten on 29 August. Hull will not want to become only the fourth side in Premier League history to win their opening two matches and then fail to win any of their next seven.

The warning signs are real. Of the three previous teams to start with two wins and then go seven without, one went on to be relegated in 2016-17 — and Hull are one of those three. Home form is the counterweight: an unbeaten nine-match run at the MKM Stadium in all competitions gives Jakirovic a platform, and a win here would make them only the second promoted side in 11 years to go unbeaten in their first five home games of a Premier League campaign, after Sunderland did so 12 months ago.

Why Ipswich keep having to come from behind

Gary O'Neil has a team with genuine fight and a defence that keeps creating the need for it. The comeback point against Nottingham Forest last week pushed Ipswich to 10 points from eight games and took their tally of points won from losing positions to a top-flight leading seven. Their six goals scored while trailing underline the same pattern: Ipswich are constantly chasing games.

The root cause is at the other end. Sixteen goals conceded in eight games, no clean sheet in 27 top-flight matches, and 46% of their games spent in a losing position. O'Neil will want his side to stop needing rescue acts, because a defence that concedes first at the MKM Stadium hands Hull exactly the kind of controlled home performance Jakirovic's unbeaten run has been built on.

Talking points

  • Hull's six-match winless run is being dressed up as solidity — but four draws from six is two points dropped per game in a season where 10 points already looks like a lifeline.
  • Ipswich's habit of coming from behind is being celebrated when it should be diagnosed: 16 goals conceded in eight games is notcharacter, it is a structural problem O'Neil has to fix.
  • The historical survival numbers — six of 33 promoted teams relegated after reaching 10 points at this stage — favour both clubs, but the sample is old and the margins in this division are thinner now.
  • If Hull fail to win, the Halloween statistic of 13 defeats on 31 October goes from trivia to a genuinely uncomfortable backdrop for a side that cannot afford a drought.

What happens next

Saturday's 15:00 GMT meeting at the MKM Stadium is the immediate test, and the stakes are asymmetric. Hull need a first league win since 29 August to stop a six-match winless run becoming the fourth two-wins-then-seven-without start in Premier League history. Ipswich need a first clean sheet since 30 December 2024 — 27 matches ago — to stop relying on fightbacks. Whoever blinks first drops below the other on a day when both could have moved clear of the relegation conversation.

Frequently asked questions

What time does Hull City vs Ipswich Town kick off?

Saturday at 15:00 GMT at the MKM Stadium.

How many points do Hull and Ipswich have this season?

Both have collected 10 points from their first eight Premier League games.

When did Ipswich last keep a clean sheet in the Premier League?

In a 2-0 win over Chelsea on 30 December 2024 — they have gone 27 top-flight matches without one since.

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