Hull vs Chelsea Prediction: Rosenior’s men go to Hull and back

Hull City welcome Chelsea to the MKM Stadium this Friday, February 13 (19:45GMT, BBC One) in the fourth round of the FA Cup. The 2013/14 runners-up have been handed a tricky tie against the eight-time winners.

Ex-Tigers boss Liam Rosenior now occupies the Chelsea hotseat. He was sacked by Hull in 2024 after a seventh-placed finish in the Championship. Read on for my Hull vs Chelsea predictions.

Team News

Full-back Cody Drameh has missed Hull City’s last nine games, but he could return here. It is understood the defender faces a late fitness test ahead of the cup tie.

Another returnee is Japan international Yu Hirakawa, who was forced to watch Hull’s 3-2 defeat to Bristol City from the stands. The forward is on-loan from the Robins and could not play due to the terms of the deal.

This high-profile FA Cup game will come too soon for Belgian midfielder Eliot Matazo, who has been sidelined for year with a torn ACL. But it is understood he is in the frame for a Tigers return next month, having returned to light training.

Chelsea defender Levi Colwill is a long-term miss with a torn ACL that occurred in pre-season training. Rosenior refused to put a definitive timeline on the 23-year-old’s return when asked last month.

Another Chelsea player enduring an extended period on the treatment table is summer signing Jamie Gittens, who is sidelined with a torn hamstring.

In happier news for the west Londoners, right-back Reece James is in contention to return after missing a handful of games with a knock and then an illness. Midfielder Romeo Lavia is back on the grass in training, having been on the injured list since November. This game may come too soon, but the former Southampton man is expected back this month.

Hull vs Chelsea Odds

Hull are flying in the Championship but have to make do with 7/1 here. That is because Chelsea, despite that slip at home to Leeds, are very much hunting Champions League football. Could league matters see them take their eye off the ball here? Odds of 2/7 for the win would suggest not.

A draw in 90 minutes plus added time is priced at 4/1. That boy Cole Palmer leads the scorer’s market. The England attacking midfielder is 3/1 to open the scoring. Chelsea are 21/20 to win to nil. 

Chelsea win & over 3.5 goals @ 7/4

I won’t win any friends for my assessment here, so look away now if you’re a fan of a club in the lower reaches of the Premier League. 

Chelsea’s last four games have all featured over 3.5 goals. Ahead of a game against Championship opposition, it should be noted that two of those games came against sides looking likely to head back to the second tier in short order.

Only the most hardened Orange-clad fanatics would dispute that Wolverhampton Wanderers are heading back to the Championship. West Ham United are two points from safety, but Nottingham Forest have a game in hand. 

Chelsea beat doomed Wolves 3-1 and slightly-less-doomed West Ham 3-2. Coupled with a 2-2 draw against Leeds, a side who were promoted last season, it is not outside the realms of possibility that Hull help nudge the total goals tally above 3.5 before Chelsea scoop victory.

Joao Pedro to score anytime @ 21/20

When Chelsea sign approximately 86 players every summer, it can be hard to drill into their individual pros and cons. Which is why it’s nice that Pedro has made it easy by simply scoring loads of goals.

Only Erling Haaland, Igor Thiago and Antoine Semenyo have scored more Premier League goals this season than the former Brighton man. Pedro is also off the mark in this competition, notching goal four in Chelsea’s 5-1 battering of Charlton Athletic in the third round. Look for the transcendent Brazilian to add to that tally today.

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