Hull City latest: Jakirovic aware of 'demanding' Arsenal test

Sergej Jakirovic is acutely aware of the size of the task that awaits Hull when they travel to face reigning Premier League champions Arsenal on Saturday. The Tigers are without a win in seven league games but there are only two losses among that number, with last weekend’s 2-2 home draw with Ipswich one of many stalemates in recent fixtures.

Despite a win being overdue, the club’s return to the league has been more successful than perhaps expected, but Jakirovic accepts that this weekend’s game is bound to be a great ask. “We need to show that we can compete there, that we can show something. Maybe even surprise them with something,” he said. “We can compare where we are right now because they are the best, it’s not a secret.

“Currently I think they are playing the best football along with Paris Saint-Germain, they are playing very good football. “We will do everything there, we will try to make some difficulties but they will control everything. Maybe we will be aggressive, front-footed in duels to try to close some of these gaps, because when you watch them they can create space by themselves. “They have some mechanisms there.

They are the best team in the league so it will be very, very demanding.”

Tim Iroegbunam says Hull will give everything to try and earn a shock victory at Arsenal on Saturday. The Tigers have only lost two of their nine games since returning to the Premier League. Speaking to Hull Live, he said: "That's one of those games where they're expected to win almost, so we'll just give it our all,." 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."

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Sergej Jakirovic praised Hull's second-half mentality after they fought back from a goal down to take the lead against Ipswich, only to be denied victory by Julio Enciso's stunning equaliser in a 2-2 draw. The Tigers were second best for much of the opening 45 minutes, with Jakirovic admitting his side were "very poor" during the first half as Ipswich controlled proceedings.

However, the Hull boss made changes at the interval, introducing an extra midfielder and switching his system to give his side greater control. "We completely changed the momentum," he told Sky Sports. "We were much more aggressive, much better pressing the ball and started to play much better in possession, which was crucial.

"After going 2-1 ahead, maybe we could have controlled the game better for another 20 minutes, but I can be happy because we showed great mentality in the second half." Jakirovic also acknowledged that Ipswich had been more effective in exploiting the spaces between Hull's lines before the break. "We sat back too much. We didn't jump out into the pockets and control the players in those areas.

They were much better than us in possession." There was also praise for Oli McBurnie, who scored his second goal in as many games with a superb free-kick to put Hull ahead. "I'm very happy with Oli. I don't look only at the goals because he's doing a lot of great things on the pitch. It's not easy for him because opponents know his quality, but scoring in back-to-back games is a big boost for his confidence."

Sky Sports' William Bitibiri:There was plenty to admire about Hull's second-half response, but there is a nagging feeling they are in danger of letting some of that early-season goodwill slip away. They were a different side after the break. More aggressive, more purposeful and with far greater conviction.

Tim Iroegbunam and Oli McBurnie turned the game on its head, while the latter's work rate and influence gave the hosts something to build around. For a spell, they looked capable of securing a result that would have meant plenty. But the concern is becoming harder to ignore. Hull have now gone seven league games without a win after taking maximum points from their first two.

Their spirited performances and promising start have bought them patience, but that will not last forever. They cannot keep relying on character to paper over slow starts and missed opportunities. There are positives here, certainly, but Jakirovic needs to turn them into wins before frustration starts to take hold.

Sky Sports' William Bitibiri:Julio Enciso produced a moment of magic to rescue Ipswich a point in a thrilling 2-2 draw at Hull, whose wait for a Premier League victory stretched to seven games despite a spirited second-half fightback.

Sergej Jakirovic is not underestimating Ipswich as Hull look to extend their unbeaten home record when the Tractor Boys visit the MKM Stadium on Saturday. Both teams were promoted last season, and though Ipswich would be considered a less testing rival than the Arsenal match that awaits next weekend, the Tigers manager is taking nothing for granted.

Hull were held to a 1-1 draw against Brentford and are yet to to suffer a loss at home, but equally they have not won since defeating Coventry at the end of August. “I think our progress is good, we have improved a lot and also gained some experience. Except for at Fulham we have been, in every game, competitive,” Jakirovic said. “We can create problems whoever we are playing.

This is very good and we will try to continue like this. “Ipswich have invested a lot, I think they bought over 20 players. They finished second in the league and beat us two times last season. “I know how difficult they are, now they have even more speed and they have some some quality, good players – they stole two players from me!

“Confidence is very high, I know that we are playing much braver at home than away games. But we still have to improve some things to try to win the game because one point is not enough in this league.”

The striker believes the Tigers have shown they can compete at this level, with Sunday's draw leaving them in the top half after eight matches. Hull took the lead through McBurnie's first Premier League goal of the season, but Dango Ouattara equalised in the second half to deny Sergej Jakirovic's side all three points."

We're past that now," McBurnie told Sky Sports when asked whether Hull were being underestimated. "People are taking us seriously as a team in the Premier League, and we just want to show that we can compete at this level." Hull were the better side for large periods at the MKM Stadium and had late opportunities to snatch a winner, but were ultimately left to settle for a point.

McBurnie believes maintaining their strong home form will be crucial to their hopes of establishing themselves in the division." One way we're going to do that is by making this a very difficult place for teams to come and making sure we have a very good home record," he said. The striker was also pleased to end his wait for a league goal, admitting he could already have scored more this season."

I probably should have had a couple so far this year, but it's nice to get off the mark and hopefully I can get a few more now," he added. Hull remain unbeaten at home, but will be keen to turn encouraging performances into victories after a six-game winless run." Every single point is crucial," McBurnie said. "We can't take any point we pick up in this league for granted."

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