The 2026-27 Premier League season kicked off Friday, two of the opening weekend’s most intriguing fixtures see Manchester United travel to newly-promoted Hull City, while Tottenham Hotspur head across London to Brentford for one of two all-London derbies in Gameweek 1.
Hull City vs Manchester United
Kick-off: Saturday, August 22, 2026, 5:30pm — MKM Stadium
Manchester United begin their new campaign against a Hull City side returning to the top flight for the first time since 2016-17. The Tigers secured promotion via the Championship play-offs last season under manager Sergej Jakirovic, ending a spell that had taken them as low as League One in recent years.
It has been a busy summer at the MKM Stadium, with Hull making 11 new signings, the marquee arrival being Nobel Mendy from Rayo Vallecano. A number of players have also departed, giving the squad a notably fresh look heading into life back in the Premier League. Their pre-season form was mixed — two wins, two draws and a defeat from five friendlies — and they head into the opener off a goalless draw with Nice. Hull’s head-to-head record against United is a difficult one: just three wins from their last 18 meetings across all competitions, though the most recent Premier League encounter between the pair, back in February 2017, finished goalless.
United, meanwhile, arrive on the back of a third-place finish last season and will have Champions League football, as well as domestic cup commitments, to juggle alongside the league this term under manager Michael Carrick. The club has strengthened with the additions of Andrey Santos, Youri Tielemans and Karl Darlow, with Carlos Baleba expected to follow, and further business — potentially a left-back and a forward — still possible before the transfer window shuts. Pre-season brought wins over Rosenborg, Atletico Madrid and Leeds United, plus a draw against European champions Paris Saint-Germain, though it ended on a sour note with a 4-2 defeat to AC Milan.
Hull’s injury list is a lengthy one, with Eliot Matazo, Darko Gyabi, Jack Butland, Oscar Zambrano, Charlie Hughes, Joe Gelhardt and Hidemasa Morita all ruled out, while Cody Drameh and Matty Jacob face late fitness tests. For United, Matthijs de Ligt and Manuel Ugarte are unavailable, and Mason Mount is a doubt. Benjamin Sesko has returned to training and could be involved in the squad after a shin problem, though a start looks unlikely given he hasn’t featured since last season. Karl Darlow is in line for a first United squad involvement, while summer signings Youri Tielemans and Andrey Santos are both set to make their debuts. With Lisandro Martinez short on pre-season minutes, Ayden Heaven could partner Harry Maguire in central defence.
Brentford vs Tottenham Hotspur
Kick-off: Saturday, August 22, 2026, 10:30pm — Gtech Community Stadium
The other London derby of the opening weekend sees Brentford host Tottenham Hotspur, with Bees supporters still waiting for a win over Spurs since the Thomas Frank era. Roberto De Zerbi now takes charge of a full season at Tottenham having steered the club away from relegation trouble last term, and he has overseen major summer investment.
After back-to-back 17th-place finishes, Spurs have broken their transfer record twice in quick succession this summer, bringing in Mateus Fernandes and Sandro Tonali in a combined £185m outlay, with further additions still possible as the window continues. Their pre-season programme yielded seven games without defeat — four wins and three draws — including a win over Chelsea and a comfortable victory over Hoffenheim in their final warm-up match. Tottenham have also lost just one of their last ten Premier League opening-day fixtures.
Brentford, under Keith Andrews, endured a shakier build-up, losing to Watford in their first pre-season outing before responding with four straight wins, including a thumping 7-0 victory over Eintracht Frankfurt in their final friendly.
Tottenham face a defensive concern with Micky van de Ven a doubt after being absent from training during the week. New arrivals Marcos Senesi and Jan Paul van Hecke are in line for full debuts, likely alongside Andrew Robertson at left-back while Destiny Udogie continues his return to fitness. Xavi Simons, Wilson Odobert, Dejan Kulusevski and Mohammed Kudus are all unavailable, but Dominic Solanke, Mateus Fernandes and James Maddison have been training with the squad and are in contention to feature. Brentford will be without Sepp van den Berg and Antoni Milambo, both without a firm return date, but are otherwise well-placed, particularly in attack after Igor Thiago and Kevin Schade both scored twice against Frankfurt.
