Hull City vs Ipswich Town: Both promoted sides on 10 points as Tigers seek first win in 63 days

Hull City host Ipswich Town in the Premier League on Saturday (15:00 GMT) with both promoted sides on 10 points after eight games. The Tigers are without a league win since 29 August, while Ipswich have fought back to earn seven points from losing positions this season.

  • Date: Saturday (31 October)
  • Kick-off: 15:00 GMT
  • Competition: Premier League
  • Venue: MKM Stadium
  • Key fact: Both sides have 10 points from eight games; Hull are without a league win in six matches (D4, L2).

The numbers

Hull City and Ipswich Town have both made encouraging starts to life back in the Premier League, collecting 10 points each from their opening eight fixtures. According to BBC Sport, this is the first season that two promoted sides have reached 10 or more points after eight games since West Brom (12) and Blackpool (10) did so in 2010-11.

History suggests that reaching double figures at this stage is a significant step towards survival. Of the 402 Premier League teams to have collected 10 or more points from eight games, only 12 have gone on to be relegated. When broken down to just promoted teams, a mere six of 33 have returned to the second tier, with the last being Blackpool in 2011.

Hull's clash with Ipswich becomes the 1,456th different fixture to be played in the upper tier of English football. It comes a week after the Tigers faced Brentford for the first time in the top flight.

Hull hard to beat but need a win

Despite their solid start, Hull are desperate for a victory. Saturday will be 63 days since their last league win, which came against Coventry on 29 August. Sergej Jakirović's side have made themselves hard to beat, but a run of six matches without a top-flight victory (D4, L2) is the joint longest along with Manchester United and Sunderland.

The Tigers will not want to become only the fourth side in Premier League history to win their opening two matches but fail to record a victory in any of their subsequent seven. They are one of the previous three teams to do so who went on to be relegated, in 2016-17.

Continuing their strong home form will be crucial. Hull are unbeaten in nine at the MKM Stadium in all competitions and could become only the second promoted side in the last 11 years to go unbeaten in their first five home games of a Premier League campaign after Sunderland did so 12 months ago.

One quirky statistic Hull fans will hope does not repeat itself: the 13 defeats they have suffered on 31 October is the most of any side on Halloween in Football League history.

Tractor Boys again show their fight

Ipswich Town once again showed their never-say-die attitude as they salvaged a point from their clash with Nottingham Forest last week. That took the Tractor Boys to 10 points from eight games – the only previous time they have reached double figures in fewer matches in their six previous Premier League seasons was after five games in 1993-94.

Their Forest fightback increased their tally of points won from losing positions to a top-flight leading seven this season, three more than they managed across the whole of their last Premier League campaign in 2024-25. They also top the charts for goals scored while trailing with six, so it is no surprise that only Crystal Palace (51.2%) have spent a greater percentage of games in a losing position this season than the 46% Ipswich have.

Head coach Gary O'Neil would much prefer his side not to always have to battle back and will be searching for an improvement in defence, having seen his side ship 16 goals in eight games. Ipswich are one of only two sides along with Manchester United yet to keep a clean sheet. Their last top-flight shutout came in a 2-0 win over Chelsea on 30 December 2024, and their 27-game run without one is the longest since Watford went 30 matches between March 2020 and January 2022.

Talking points

  • Hull's winless run: The Tigers have not won in six league games (D4, L2) and are desperate to avoid becoming only the fourth side to win their opening two matches but fail to win any of their next seven.
  • Ipswich's resilience: Gary O'Neil's side have won seven points from losing positions this season – the most in the top flight – but they have also conceded 16 goals in eight games and are yet to keep a clean sheet.
  • Home fortress: Hull are unbeaten in nine at the MKM Stadium in all competitions and could match Sunderland's achievement of going unbeaten in their first five home games as a promoted side last season.

What happens next

After Saturday's match, Hull City will look to build on their strong home form and end their winless run as the Premier League season progresses. Ipswich Town will aim to improve defensively while maintaining their knack of recovering from losing positions. Both sides will be eager to secure a crucial victory to boost their survival hopes.

Frequently asked questions

When is Hull City vs Ipswich Town?

The match takes place on Saturday at 15:00 GMT at the MKM Stadium.

What is Hull City's recent form?

Hull are without a win in their last six Premier League matches (D4, L2), with their last league victory coming against Coventry on 29 August.

How many points do both teams have?

Both Hull City and Ipswich Town have collected 10 points from their opening eight games of the Premier League season.

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