The Tigers are three wins away from the Premier League
Oli McBurnie slots in the winner for Hull City against Norwich City (Image: Ashley Allen/Getty Images)
Former Championship promotion winner Kevin Phillips believes Hull City’s record against their play-off rivals can be a big positive going into this weekend’s semi-final.
City face Millwall on Friday night at the MKM Stadium in the first leg, before heading to the capital for the second leg at The Den on Monday evening.
The Tigers were 3-1 winners at The Den in December, though they lost a controversial clash with Alex Neil’s men by the same score in February, with Kyle Joseph seeing a perfectly good goal ruled out with the scores level at 1-1. City have also completed the league double over Southampton, and were winners at Middlesbrough.
That record, Phillips believes, shows Sergej Jakirovic’s side has the players for the big occasion, something he feels will be a real benefit.
“They beat Millwall 3-1 away. They beat Boro as well, away 1-0. So, they’ve got pedigree. They know that they can perform in big, big games,” he told Hull Live via BestBettingSites. “And that will certainly help. Again, at the weekend, having to come from 1-0 down at home in a massive, massive game, a must-win game. And they’ve shown they can handle the pressure. And they’ve got the players to do it.
“I think that will certainly give them the slight edge going into this. But again, it’s the play-offs. About stepping up, but you’d certainly rather go into it with that record than not.”
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Striker Oli McBurnie grabbed the headlines last weekend with his calmly taken penalty and fine finish to seal City’s place in the top six, and Phillips believes the manner of that victory will bode well this weekend.
“I’ve spoken about the players in the Hull City squad for a while now,” the ex-Sunderland and West Brom ace continued. “McBurnie being one of them. He had a little bit of a dip in form, but the manager stuck with him because he knows that good players always come out on top. And that’s what McBurnie’s done. He’s got 17 goals this season, seven assists, second top goal scorer in the league.
“So, he was always going to come good, two cracking goals, the penalty and a really good finish, at the weekend. But you do need your experienced players to step up, certainly in the play-offs now, and Hull City have got those. So, they’ve hit form right at the right time. And that win at the weekend will do their confidence the world of good.”
LISTEN: Sergej Jakirovic and Kyle Joseph preview the play-off semi-final
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