Tim Iroegbunam says Hull City will go to the Emirates with full belief that they can cause an upset in the Premier League by stopping Arsenal’s march towards retaining the title.
City will be rank outsiders when they arrive at Ashburton Grove on Saturday afternoon, but within the away dressing room, there will be ample belief that they can cause a surprise.
The Gunners went top of the table with a gritty 1-0 win at Anfield on Sunday, after Manchester City were beaten at home by in-form Brighton and Hove Albion the day before.
Mikel Arteta’s men were thrashed at Brighton and then just last week were humiliated at League Two strugglers Fleetwood Town in the Carabao Cup, despite many of the Gunners’ big-hitters playing at Highbury.
That should give hope to Sergej Jakirovic’s men, and Iroegbunam, who scored his first top-flight goal in the 2-2 thriller with Ipswich Town on Saturday, says they’ll go there in good spirits.
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“That’s one of those games where they’re expected to win almost, so we’ll just give it our all,” the former Aston Villa youngster told Hull Live. “It’s not like it hasn’t been done before; like they haven’t been beaten, it’s possible. We’ll give it our all, and we’ll see what happens.
“We know they’re a good side, but in the Premier League, anyone can beat anyone. We’ll go into the game looking to win, as we do with every game, and whatever happens will happen.”
At half-time of City’s draw with Ipswich Town at the weekend, Jakirovic made the switch back to the 4-3-3 formation he favoured last season for the most part, and it was a decision that paid off.
The introduction of Matt Crooks made a significant difference to City’s ability to be a threat in the final third, and while that shape might be unlikely at the Emirates, Iroegbunam believes it does show their tactical flexibility.
“I feel like that’s just up to the manager, whatever he feels, what formation will be best suited for whatever game we play,” he added. “Last season they played both a four and five at the back, so it just shows how flexible we can be in playing in different positions, different formations.”
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