Hull City’s final pre-season test arrived on Saturday afternoon as Sergej Jakirovic’s side faced Nice at the MKM Stadium, with the club hoping for a positive finish to the summer before next Saturday’s season opener against Manchester United.
This was Hull’s last friendly before the new campaign, and it also marked the first home outing since the Wembley play-off final victory in May. After a summer of change, the match offered a useful chance to assess fitness, sharpen combinations and give supporters an early look at several new arrivals.
Final tune-up before the real thing
Hull came into the match after a 2-0 defeat to Eintracht Frankfurt in Germany last Saturday, so the focus against Nice was less on the result and more on getting the squad in the right shape for the season ahead. Jakirovic was looking for a cleaner end to preparations, especially with Manchester United arriving in less than a week.
The build-up also centred on the availability of new signings, with the afternoon at the MKM Stadium expected to give fans a first home glimpse of fresh faces. That mattered because pre-season is often as much about settling players in as it is about building form.
Nice arrive with their own summer changes
Nice also reached this fixture after an eventful offseason. Just before Christmas, Franck Haise was sacked and Claude Puel was appointed on an interim basis, before Olivier Pantaloni took charge in June. That gave the French side a different look heading into the game in East Yorkshire.
For Hull, though, the bigger picture was straightforward. This was the final checkpoint before the season opener, the last chance to tighten up details and make sure the squad is ready for Premier League football to begin again in earnest.
Supporters turn out for a summer friendly
There was also a healthy sense of occasion around the fixture. Hull Live expected around 8,000 supporters at the match, which is a strong crowd for a summer friendly and a sign of the appetite for football returning to the MKM Stadium.
After the Wembley high in May, the club’s first home match since that victory was always going to carry a different feel. But with the new season now close, Hull will have taken plenty from a final friendly that was as much about readiness as anything else.
