Hull City Target 3 Easy Points Against Struggling Blackpool

Hull City vs Blackpool

Blackpool's attempt at getting back into the Premier League at the first shot may rest a lot on their first league encounter with Hull City.

However, they definitely have not had the best of preparations, at least in comparison with Hull City. Blackpool seem to be continuing from their last day defeat at the hands of Manchester United, as they have won only one match out of their four pre-season friendlies.

Hull City, on the other hand, have been nothing short of excellent in their pre-season, which also includes a thumping 3-0 victory over Liverpool.

The team has just conceded one goal in the three friendlies, but Ian Holloway will know that friendlies would count for almost nothing if a team does not perform on the day. Blackpool will be getting help from injuries, whereas Hull City do not seem to be in the same position.

Blackpool will be without DJ Campbell who has just moved to QPR. Both teams will be looking to get off to a great start as they target a quick Premier League return. The urgency will be more in the case of Hull City, whose parachute payments will vanish after two seasons.

Brighton & Hove vs Doncaster

Brighton and Hove will not be looking forward to the first match in the Championship, especially given the poor pre-season form.

The pre-season has been nothing short of awful for the team just promoted from League One. They have taken part in three pre-season friendlies, but have lost in each and every one of them.

Even though two of them were against good sides like Tottenham and PSG, Gus Poyet would have been definitely hoping for much better from their pre-season.

Doncaster, on the other hand, have been rather good so far.

Out of their four pre-season friendlies, John Ryan's side has managed a victory in three of them. John Ryan will especially be happy about the clean sheets that his side has been getting in each of their victories.

Hence, dreams will be quite high at Doncaster now, but the first match will go a long way into telling if these dreams can be sustained or not. Certainly, John Ryan will be hoping to do much better than last season's 21st position finish. For Brighton and Hove, it is all about staying up, and the best way to do this is by winning the home games.

Southampton vs Leeds

Southampton have been on a rough patch in recent years, but the club at last tasted success in the form of promotion last season.

They will be hoping to retain the joy of promotion to the Championship for much longer than just a year. However, their recent pre-season form suggests otherwise, as they haven't had a single victory in their four friendly matches.

It also includes a defeat to St. Gallen, but Southampton manager Nigel Adkins will be hoping that his players perform just when it matters the most.

Home form is crucial to the survival of any promoted team and Southampton are no exception from this fact. They will be facing a Leeds United side that just missed out on the play-offs position last season.

Simon Grayson has been doing a great job for the last year or so in reviving Leeds United, but any revival hopes for this season will be lost if they fail to take three points from the match against Southampton. Grayson will certainly be worried about his team's inability to maintain clean sheets.

West Ham vs Cardiff

West Ham United will be looking to get back into the Premier League at the very first attempt and they can lay foundations with a victory over Cardiff City. The transfer rumours surrounding the club certainly does not help Sam Allardyce in the quest for promotion.

However, Allardyce, as a manager with plenty of experience from managing teams in both the Championship and Premier League, will know exactly what it takes to keep his players from getting distracted.

West Ham has been having a poor pre-season, but their form has improved of late. They will be facing a Cardiff side that is totally devoid of form.

The club played three pre-season friendlies, but failed to win even a single match. Malky Mackay has a big job on his hands to win over the fans, who have been used to seeing Dave Jones lead them to the play-offs position.

Anything other than a play-off position will be seen as a failure on the part of Malky Mackay.

Despite the transfer speculations, West Ham can get into a strong position by winning their opening fixture.