EPL: Arteta warns Arsenal against underrating Hull

Arsenal manager, Mikel Arteta, has warned his players against underestimating newly promoted Hull City ahead of their Premier League meeting at the Emirates Stadium on Saturday.

Arteta said he had been impressed by Hull’s performances during their promotion campaign and their return to the English top flight, despite their recent run without a victory.

Hull, managed by Sergej Jakirovic, have gone eight matches without a win in all competitions but have recorded five draws in their opening nine Premier League games, losing only twice.

Speaking ahead of Saturday’s encounter, Arteta, in a release on the club website on Friday, praised the visitors for their performances against difficult opponents and said Arsenal had discussed what to expect from them.

“It’s been an incredibly journey from what the club has done last year.

“Some of the difficult games they’ve come through and competed in, they’ve earned the right to be here and been impressive,” he said.

He added, “We’ve been discussing that with the boys on what to expect from them tomorrow and to be clear on what we need to do to beat them. Tomorrow is the main focus of everything we’ve done, we need to go, be better than Hull, and beat them.”

The match will be the last for both teams before the November international break.

Arsenal will travel to face Newcastle United after the break, before beginning a run of 11 consecutive matches in London, including seven at the Emirates Stadium.

Arteta said his team had handled a demanding schedule well, despite facing difficult opponents and extensive travelling during the early part of the 2026/27 campaign.

“We have to navigate with [the schedule] and have done it really well so far, with a lot of difficult opponents and travel. We want to attack again tomorrow, right from the off,” he said.

“We know the momentum, especially going into the international break because we know what’s coming after November and December.”

The Arsenal manager also stressed the importance of maintaining high standards in both attack and defence if the club are to retain the Premier League title.

He said the team’s performance depended on the commitment of every player across different aspects of the game, including attacking responsibilities, set-pieces and transitions.

“It does matter, everything matters. You are able to [win] because of the compromise and commitment of every single player,” Arteta said.

“The same with attack responsibility, anything related to set-pieces, transitions, everything as a whole.

“You need to sustain an incredible level across 10 months and to do that, you need to have everything. Otherwise, you won’t be able to do it.”