Hull City vs. Norwich City: Date, Time, TV Info and Preview

Date: August 24 2013

Time: 15:00 GMT

TV Info: Saturday Night Football: Game of the Day 20:00 GMT, Match Choice 22:00 GMT—Sky Sports 1, Match of the Day 22:20 GMT—BBC One

Odds, courtesy of StatsInsights.com:  Hull 34.07 percent, Norwich 39.44 percent, Draw 26.49 percent

Preview: Nobody told Hull City that life back in the Premier League was going to be easy, and 25 minutes into the action at Stamford Bridge last Sunday they were left without any doubt.

Goals from Oscar and Frank Lampard, a missed penalty from the latter and Chelsea’s dominance of possession all suggested that a potentially damaging rout was on the cards for the Tigers.

But, sensing a result which could have severely damaged morale, Steve Bruce’s men dug in and ultimately “only” succumbed to a 2-0 loss.

Of course nobody expected the newly promoted side to get a result at Chelsea, and the same will be true when they travel to the majority of last season’s top half, but fixtures such as this Saturday’s one at home to Norwich City offer up a chance for Bruce’s men to get their first points on the board.

Home debuts beckon for the likes of Allan McGregor, Maynor Figueroa, Tom Huddlestone, Jake Livermore and Danny Graham, all of whom have had extensive experience of the British game and look to be solid enough signings, fitness permitting.

Instead of them though, it could be a newer name to many who Hull are relying on.

Yannick Sagbo played the whole 90 minutes on his competitive Tigers debut at Chelsea, but in this KC Stadium clash he should get more opportunities to show what he’s all about and show what persuaded Hull to bring him to the club from French club Evian in the summer.

The half-brother of West Ham’s Guy Demel, Sagbo might not have been a headline arrival to the Premier League, but if he can repeat the six goals he scored in Ligue 1 last season then he’d be a useful addition.

As for Norwich, their main striking arrival will be targeting much more than six goals, especially given his flying start.

Ricky van Wolfswinkel got his Canaries career up and running with the fine header which earned his side a point from the 2-2 draw with Everton at Carrow Road last weekend, and the Dutchman is very much the spearhead of this new-look side.

The likes of Gary Hooper, Leroy Fer and Nathan Redmond all strike you as intriguing, exciting additions, and it is clear to see that boss Chris Hughton is planning for much more than just a relegation battle this season.

The vibrancy they showed on occasion against Everton backs this belief up too, and like Hull they’ll be targeting this game as the perfect opportunity to get a first three points of the season on the board.

Norwich—who have also signed the former Bolton Wanderers forward Johan Elmander on loan from Galatasaray, reported by the BBC—face matches against an improving Southampton as well as Tottenham, Chelsea and Arsenal in the next few weeks, so a result at the KC Stadium may be seen as vital to Hughton’s hopes going forward.

The former Newcastle manager is likely to look to utilise van Wolfswinkel’s pace and finishing ability on the break in a match that the Dutchman is sure to relish, particularly given Hull’s deficiencies at the back.

The visitors should look at this as a real opportunity to make their mark on the campaign, and if they can then thoughts among the fans are likely to feature a top-half finish.

That might be a case of running before they can walk, but fans are nothing if not easily influenced at this point of the season, and a win for either club here will only get them dreaming big.