Every team is eager to win after the international break, including the sides with points to gain and results to potentially scrape. Hull City, are one of those teams. They are up against Arsenal at The Emirates, for the first time since their dramatic 3-2 defeat against the hosts in the FA Cup final at Wembley, just a few months ago. They were very unlucky not to win the trophy in the end, having gone 2-0 up after just nine minutes of play!
Here are the ways in which Hull can hurt Arsenal:
Their smart tactics adapting to different situations constantly, as well as the physical side of their game.
Hull have the ability to change their tactics almost instantaneously, based on the shape of their team and their squad depth. They have three or four different formations which they can rotate between from game-to-game, depending on who they are playing against. For example, they are up against Arsenal on the weekend away from home. So, Steve Bruce's side will do their best to defend and contain the attacking threat of Arsenal - before soaking up the pressure and taking chances on the counter attack.
Here are just two of the possible formations that they can use: (4-1-4-1)
And 3-5-1-1 formation:
The defensive partnership of Maynor Figueroa, James Chester and captain Curtis Davies may be too much to handle for the Arsenal forwards in the end on the weekend; considering their pace, power and towering figures are not a good sight for the opposition.
A midfield duo of Livermore and Diame have been impressive over the past year or so, with the latter joining the club in a shock move on deadline day from West Ham. He's been in a great vein of form ever since, and he could break up play easily with his sheer pace and strength.
Going forward, the likes of wingers Tom Ince and Hatem Ben Arfa bring something else to the table. They both have pace, attacking flair and a fair bit of skill – plus the fact that they have something to prove as the duo have had problems settling down over the past few years. Ben Arfa was loaned out from Newcastle in the transfer window, with fears that he was overweight and therefore unfit to play. Meanwhile, Ince has been from club-to-club and been unable to settle down since his impressive showings at Blackpool in the Championship. Can he reach his potential?
And the target man, Croatian striker Nikica Jelavic. Four goals already this season, the club’s record scorer in this campaign. Not bad, can he add to his tally at The Emirates? We will see this weekend, but hopefully he can expect a decent game.
ALSO: Look out for a cameo appearance/start from striker Abel Hernandez. Fast, strong and determined to make his mark on the Premier League; he scored a thunder strike against West Ham a few weeks ago. It won't be so easy for Arsenal, especially with all of their injuries at the moment.