It’s been a thrilling week for Hull City supporters, who saw their club reach the League Cup quarter-finals for the first time in their history with a thrilling win over Leicester City in penalties.
Hull City managed to hold the suddenly high-powered Leicester attack to a single goal in normal time and extra time, forcing a 1-1 draw that ultimately progressed to a penalty shootout.
Hull prevailed in that shootout when Eldin Jakupovic stopped Riyad Mahrez’s shot at 4-4, and David Meyler put in the winning shot.
So it’s on to the quarter final, and the draw on Wednesday revealed that Hull will travel to Manchester City for its next match.
This is a daunting task given that Manchester City is now the clear favourite to hoist the cup, though unexpected exits by Chelsea, Arsenal, and Manchester United in the previous round have shown once again that overall domestic form doesn’t necessarily dictate League Cup success.
No doubt Manchester City is seeking the silverware, but with successful campaigns also underway in the Champions League and Premier League, Manuel Pellegrini’s squad may not devote its full energy to the Cup chase.
In particular, the domestic league figures to dominate Man City’s attention. The numbers thus far show that this season’s Premier League is being more closely contested than normal, to the point that it’s become the most competitive of the major European leagues.
Every match and every point counts this season, and you’re unlikely to see City jumping out to a double-digit lead in points. With EPL matches scheduled within days on either side of the December 1 League Cup fixture with Hull, Man City could conceivably let its focus dwindle for the quarter-finals.
However, that’s not to suggest that only a Man City lapse could lead to a Hull victory in early December.
Despite the fact that the Tigers ultimately failed to avoid relegation last spring, the last time they met Man City at the Etihad brought a result that should be encouraging to the club this time around. The two sides had a 1-1 draw, though Hull was actually in position to get the win before James Milner put in a free kick during stoppage time.
Certainly, much has changed since then: Hull now plays in the League Championship, whereas Man City is once again leading the Premier League, alongside Arsenal. Additionally, Man City was in the midst of a dreadful slide during the draw last February, whereas they’re currently playing very sound football.
Nonetheless, with both squads featuring largely similar lineups to the ones that met in February, the draw should inspire confidence on the part of Hull City.
There’s not much sense getting into the personnel battle, as it’s clear to anyone who watches football that Man City boasts the stronger team. It’s equally clear from recent action at the Cup, however, that domestic prestige does not guarantee wins in this particular competition.
Don’t be surprised if the Tigers seize the opportunity and make a very tight match of this intriguing quarter-final pairing.
