Hull City welcome Aston Villa to the MKM Stadium on Saturday evening, with kick-off set for 5:30pm BST, as the newly promoted Tigers look to extend their perfect Premier League start to three wins from three.

Hull's strong start

Sergej Jakirović's side have silenced their doubters in emphatic fashion, beating Manchester United and then Coventry City in their opening two fixtures. Most pundits had written Hull off before a ball was kicked this season, but the Tigers are proving their top-flight credentials with every passing week.

The club were busy right until the final moments of the transfer window, with Ilyas Ansah, Robinio Vaz, Brooke Norton-Cuffy, Tim Iroegbunam, Sorba Thomas, and Christos Mouzakitis all arriving on deadline day. How many of those new faces Jakirović will throw into the starting lineup on Saturday remains unclear.

One notable departure was Liam Miller, who joined Birmingham City on loan until the end of the season — a surprise given he had scored the only goal in the 1-0 victory over Coventry City just days earlier.

Villa's troubled opening

Unai Emery's Aston Villa, meanwhile, have endured a miserable start to life as Europa League holders. Back-to-back defeats against Brighton and Hove Albion and Arsenal have left them sitting 19th in the table heading into Gameweek 3.

The club saw Ollie Watkins depart for Saudi Arabia during the window, with Nicolas Jackson arriving from Chelsea as his replacement. Ibrahim Mbaye joined from Paris Saint-Germain, and English centre-back Taylor Harwood-Bellis signed from Southampton to bolster the defence.

Midfield, however, remains a significant concern. Joao Gomes is suspended following his red card on the opening weekend, while Amadou Onana and Johan Manzambi are both sidelined with knee injuries. Teenager George Hemmings was drafted in against Arsenal last weekend, and whether he continues alongside Boubacar Kamara is yet to be decided by Emery.

Match prediction

Hull are riding the crest of a wave, while Villa are searching for their first points of the campaign. A competitive contest seems likely, with the teams expected to share the spoils in a 1-1 draw.