Hull vs. Manchester City: Key Issues That Will Shape Premier League Game

Manchester City needed a slump buster, and Sheffield Wednesday obliged.

City had been finding goals hard to come by in recent weeks. Granted, any match with Chelsea is apt to be a dry affair. And Arsenal at the Emirates are never as generous as they are when they travel. For that matter, Stoke are pretty tight-fisted away from the Britannia Stadium.

But City's opponents deserve only some of the credit for the Sky Blues' recent inability to score. Iffy finishing and 14 wasted corner kicks against Chelsea were to blame and were indicative of how far from City's free-scoring ways of last season Manuel Pellegrini's side had gone.

Then City hit for a touchdown and an extra point in less than a full half of play against the Owls. It is, as always, a funny old game.

With that Capital One Cup debut safely behind them, City return to the business of defending their Premier League title. The next step on that path leads to Hull and the KC Stadium.

What might City be thinking about now that they appear to have addressed their scoring issues?

Super, Super Frank, Super Frankie Lampard

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Lampard has scored three goals in two games. What will Pellegrini do with him now?

You have to think that if Jose Mourinho knew that Frank Lampard would leave Chelsea only to immediately end up at Manchester City (by way of New York City FC, but whatever) that Mourinho might have kept the Chelsea icon around for another season.

Mourinho apparently thought Lampard had little to nothing left. Mourinho, apparently, was wrong.

Lampard rescued a draw for 10-man City against Chelsea earlier this week, then scored City's first of seven goals against Sheffield Wednesday in Capital One Cup play on his way to a brace.

Pellegrini has started Lampard in just one Premier League match, but given the legend's current form, how could Pellegrini not consider riding the hot player? Particularly if City continue to run with a five-man midfield, one of those spots ought to belong to Lampard until this incendiary streak subsides.

Why Don't We Do It in the Road?

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City need to start a dominant run of road play against Hull.

City's road woes from the early part of the 2013-14 season nearly derailed their Premier League title run. Early in this new season, we still do not know what sort of road crew City are.

The draw against Arsenal was satisfactory, but it was also a bit fortunate. The win at Newcastle to open the season was expected.

City's next four road matches in the Premier League will match them up against Hull, Aston Villa, West Ham and QPR. With all due respect to Villa's quick start, those are four matches that City will be expected to win.

But City cannot win all four of them if they do not win this first one with Hull.

The Only Match That Matters Is the One You Are Playing Right Now

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City will need Kompany to stick around longer in this one.

City will be very tempted to look past Hull and toward their next match, a crucial Champions League encounter with AS Roma at the Etihad three days later.

That is a dangerous game to play.

Chelsea are likely to put a beating on Aston Villa at Stamford Bridge while City are playing away to Hull. Any dropped points by City will lengthen Chelsea's already stout five-point advantage over the Sky Blues in the Premier League table.

City's loss at Bayern Munich to start this season's Champions League effort imbues the AS Roma match with greater import. But City cannot afford to look past Hull under any circumstances.

Squad Rotation Will Continue Until Further Notice

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Pellegrini cannot look past Hull, but he probably cannot play his best XI, either.

While City cannot afford to look past Hull or take them lightly, they also probably cannot afford to hit Hull with everything they have.

City's best XI (or something really close to it) will have to be reserved for the Champions League match with AS Roma that follows this match with Hull on the City slate. And in a mystifying development, Pellegrini ran a fair amount of tread off the tires of some of his best players in the recent romp over Sheffield Wednesday.

Edin Dzeko, Jesus Navas, Eliaquim Mangala and Aleksandar Kolarov all went the distance against the Owls, even during garbage time with the match well in hand. Yaya Toure played more than an hour, as did Fernandinho and James Milner.

Trying to guess what Pellegrini will do with his XI's is a fool's errand, but it is possible that the extended runs that some of these players received in this Capital One Cup match mean that they will not see much time against Hull in order to be fresh against AS Roma.

Of course, that concept probably does not apply to Toure or Fernandinho. Pellegrini probably cannot do without either of them in this road Premier League match.

Hull Are Reeling a Bit

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This is the sort of look a manager gets after his team kicks away a sure win.

City probably could not have picked a better time to play Hull at the KC Stadium. Given Hull's recent form, their supporters' patience is apt to be in short supply.

Hull are out of the Capital One Cup after losing both the lead and a chance at extra time by ceding two goals to West Brom in the final three minutes of the match. That is brutal.

It is also becoming a Hull hallmark this season.

"It was the fourth time Hull have blown a lead this season after tossing away six points in the Barclays Premier League to Stoke, West Ham and Newcastle," noted a recent Sky Sports report.

Maybe Hull are the proverbial dangerous wounded prey in this match. Then again, maybe they are ripe for a quick kill.