Hull Cityvs.Malaga

Having both narrowly survived relegation from the English and Spanish second tiers respectively last season, both clubs will be hoping for a promising pre-season ahead of hopefully stronger campaigns.

Match preview

Indeed, having been taken over by Turkish media mogul Acun Ilicali in February earlier this year, this summer represents the real beginning of a new era for Hull.

Previous Hull owner Assem Allam had been in charge of the club since August 2013, and was a hugely divisive figure on Humberside, with his changing of the club's name to 'Hull City Tigers' a particular nadir for most of the fanbase.

As is to be expected under a new ownership model, there has already been plenty of change at the club, with the likes of Keane Lewis-Potter, George Honeyman and Tom Eaves departing for pastures new this summer.

However, Ilicali is clearly putting his Turkish contacts to good use already, having attracted Allahyar Sayyadmanesh and Ozan Tufan on permanent deals from Fenerbahce.

The duo both started in Hull's 2-0 defeat to their former club on Sunday, with late strikes from Arda Guler and Serdar Dursun breaking the Championship side's stubborn resistance against last season's Super Lig runners-up.

More new bodies are expected to follow them through the door in the coming days and weeks, with Shota Arveladze keen to build a winning formula as quickly as possible.

Hull's forthcoming opponents Malaga, on the other hand, appear to be a club on a downward trajectory.

Having only been minutes away from reaching the Champions League semi-final in 2013, when Jurgen Klopp's Borussia Dortmund miraculously struck twice in injury time to break their hearts, there has been little to smile about for fans of the southern Spain club since.

After being banned from UEFA competition for carrying significant financial debts, Qatari owner Abdullah ben Nasser Al-Thani's investment into the club has been miniscule compared to his first three lavish years.

After being relegated from La Liga in 2018, Los Albicelestes almost bounced back at the first attempt in the following season, ultimately falling at the promotion playoff hurdle.

However, the three ensuing years have all seen bottom-half finishes in the Segunda Division, with their fall from grace almost culminating in relegation to the third tier last season. Only two points separated them from the drop zone into oblivion.

This summer, five free transfers and one loanee have entered the building, but it remains to be seen whether Malaga can push for a return to the Spanish top tier. At this stage that feels an incredibly tall order.

Hull City pre-season form:

Team News

Hull have been dealt a significant injury blow in the form of new signing Adama Traore's hamstring tear, which is likely to keep the former Hatayspor midfielder out of action until after Christmas.

New signings Tufan, Sayyadmanesh, Jean Michael Seri and Tobias Figueiredo are all expected to start against Malaga.

Malaga boss Pablo Guede, meanwhile, will hope to put his stamp on proceedings having only taken over in April earlier this year.

The 47-year-old will likely call upon the services of his six new signings, including former Watford right-back Juanfran and 41-year-old forward Ruben Castro.

Hull City possible starting lineup:

Ingram; Jones, Figueirido, Greaves; Coyle, Seri, Tufan, Elder; Longman, Sayyadmanesh, Wilks

Malaga possible starting lineup:

Reina; Juanfran, Escassi, Caro, Romero; Zuniga, Rodriguez, Febas, Villodres; Castro, Sol

We say: Hull City 2-0 Malaga

We expect Hull to have too much quality for their Spanish opponents.

Despite losing a few key players, Arveladze's side have made some impressive signings, who should be keen to impress their new boss.

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