Hull City trio cleared for Chelsea clash as Jakirovic gets injury boost

Hull City have been handed a clean bill of health ahead of Saturday’s trip to Chelsea, with Brooke Norton-Cuffy, John Egan and Paddy McNair all cleared to feature at Stamford Bridge.

Hidemasa Morita and Charlie Hughes remain unavailable, but Sergej Jakirovic has no new injury concerns after Tuesday’s Sunderland match. Norton-Cuffy underwent a scan after feeling discomfort in his calf following the Aston Villa draw, although the results showed no issue.

“Morita and Charlie Hughes are still missing, but that is all,” Jakirovic said. “Cuffy is okay after his scan and Paddy McNair is okay too. There were a few issues after Sunderland, nothing serious, and they will be ready.”

The Hull manager explained that Norton-Cuffy had felt something away from the ball against Villa and was taken off as a precaution. “He was not comfortable with his calf, so we sent him for a scan the next day. It showed nothing.”

Hull face biggest defensive examination

The newly promoted Tigers arrive in London with seven points from their opening three Premier League fixtures and, crucially, without conceding a goal. Victories over Manchester United and Coventry were followed by last week’s goalless draw with Aston Villa.

That record now faces its sternest test against a Chelsea attack led by João Pedro, Cole Palmer and Morgan Rogers. Jakirovic joked that kicking Chelsea’s creative players would be the simplest answer before stressing that collective defending will decide Hull’s chances.

“Kick them? No,” he said. “If you try to man-mark them, you have no chance. They can beat one, two or three players with their passing. We need to stay close together, be compact and defend as a unit.”

Jakirovic expects Chelsea’s quality to make it a demanding afternoon, but insists Hull will not abandon their own approach. “It is a difficult challenge, but we will try to play,” he said.

Jakirovic wants further progress

Hull’s unbeaten opening has increased attention around their return to the top flight, yet Jakirovic believes there is much more to come from his squad.

“Each match brings another challenge and we want to perform better than we did in the first three rounds,” he said. “We have taken seven points, which is good, and keeping clean sheets has been excellent. But we can improve in every phase of the game.”

The Croatian also warned his players that opponents will be especially determined to end Hull’s shutout run. He wants tactical discipline and concentration to remain central regardless of how Saturday’s contest develops.

What happens next: Hull visit Chelsea on Saturday looking to protect their perfect defensive record and extend their unbeaten Premier League start.