Hull City Round-Up, Thursday 5th November: Jakirovic Braced for Arsenal "One of the Best Teams in Europe" Test

Attention is firmly on Saturday's trip to Ashburton Grove, with Sergej Jakirovic admitting his Hull City players face a huge challenge against a side he rates among the very best on the continent. The head coach said Arsenal are "one of the two best teams in Europe right now" and that his squad must be ready for the Gunners to dominate the ball and control the game (Yorkshire Post).

Looking at how City might approach that challenge, Hull Live have drawn on the Leeds United blueprint as a possible template for how a promoted Yorkshire club can make life difficult for one of the Premier League's superpowers (HullLive). Sports Mole's preview of the fixture takes in predictions, likely team news and possible lineups for both sides ahead of kick-off (Sports Mole), while they've also dug into the head-to-head history between Arsenal and Hull City, charting past meetings between the two clubs (Sports Mole).

Away from team news, there's been plenty of interest in the numbers side of the Premier League this week. The Yorkshire Post's attendance table rounds up how the division's crowds compare, with Hull City featured alongside fellow Yorkshire sides Leeds United and Sheffield clubs as well as the likes of Aston Villa, Sunderland and Crystal Palace (Yorkshire Post). The Yorkshire Post's FootballTalk Podcast also takes a wider look at Hull City's bright start to the season as part of a broader Yorkshire football discussion, alongside winners and losers from the recent Yorkshire derby and contrasting fortunes for the Steel City rivals (Yorkshire Post).

In the local community, Hull Live report on plans for new Hull Sports Awards, reviving the old awards scheme that once celebrated local sporting heroes in the early stages of their careers. The idea is understood to have come out of discussions between Hull City Council leader Cllr Mike Ross and local figures keen to champion grassroots talent across the city (HullLive).

That's the evening round-up - plenty building towards a tough test in north London this weekend, with Jakirovic's men know exactly the scale of the task they face against Arsenal.

This round-up is written with the help of AI, using only the day's headlines from the publishers credited above. Each point links to the original report — tap the source name to read it in full.