Hull City are looking forward to a Friday showdown with Chelsea at the MKM Stadium on February 13th 2026. Kick off time is 7:45 PM GMT – which works out at 8:45PM WAT. This particular FA Cup tie has some added emotional weight to it as Liam Rosenior will be returning to his old club, where he played and managed before that bit of a messy departure. Chelsea had a bit of a mixed bag of a midweek draw to get through , while Hull are on a high, up in the Championship play-offs and looking to pull off the biggest upset of the round against a Premier League side.
Match Summary
Hull currently sit in fourth place in the Championship and are absolutely flying under boss Sergej Jakirović – their home form has been absolutely superb and new signings like Oli McBurnie and Joe Gelhardt are giving their attack a real boost. They havent lost in a while but of course they are facing a steep step up against Chelsea, a team against which theyve lost a worrying 8 times on the trot in their history. But the Tigers are more than up for the challenge and really want to go out there and cause a right old upset and get to the fifth round for the first time in years.
Chelsea – who just happen to be managed by Liam Rosenior – are doing okay in the Premier League, hanging out in the top half of the table, but were left frustrated by that 2-2 draw against Leeds in midweek. They of course have got loads of experience in the FA Cup against Hull and they’ve made progress from all of their previous ties and a pretty deep squad to choose from.
This one’s going to be a real Liam Rosenior Derby – the intensity at the MKM Stadium is going to be off the charts, with the Hull fans going wild in the hope of pulling off a miracle. Expect some goals, of course. Hull manage to score at home, but you cant help but feel Chelsea will show their quality in the cup.
Head-to- head: Chelsea have dominated recent meetings, but Hulls current form has to give them a shout in this one.
Possible Lineups
Hull City: probably 4-2-3-1: Pandur gets the nod – McNair, Egan, Hughes – Coyle, Slater, Lundstram, Giles – Gelhardt – Joseph, McBurnie
Sergej Jakirović has a few injury problems to deal with, as he has to look for ways to get around the loss of players like Semi Ajayi (hamstring), Mohamed Belloumi (hamstring), Cody Drameh (thigh), Darko Gyabi (groin) and others. Oli McBurnie is going to be leading the line, with his physicality and scoring threat going to be pretty hard for Chelsea to handle.
Chelsea 4-2-3-1: Sánchez is in goal – Acheampong/Gusto and Fofana look to be the centre backs – Badiashile and Hato make up the back four – Caicedo and Santos right in the thick of midfield – and up front, a familiar face for Liam Rosenior fans – Pedro Neto – supported by Estêvão and Garnacho with Delap on the end of things.
Liam Rosenior’s got a bit of a rotation going on in this one – Cucurella’s out with a hamstring problem , Colwill’s out injured, and Reece James is a doubt (illness) . Youngsters like Josh Acheampong get a run out – along with some real flair and goal-scoring threat from the likes of Pedro Neto, Estêvão Willian, and Liam Delap
Prediction
Id say Chelsea’s got enough talent and depth to see them through, even allowing for Liam Rosenior’s rotation and Hulls pretty clear motivation to take down their old boss. Liam Delap and Estêvão are going to be a handful – and Pedro Neto will be causing problems for Hull with his pace. Hull will probably manage to get on the scoresheet with Oli McBurnies hold-up play and the home crowd’s energy – but I reckon the Blues’ experience is going to see them through in a lively cup tie.
Final score prediction: Hull City 1-3 Chelsea
