City welcome the Premier League outfit to a sold-out MKM Stadium
Barry Cooper Hull City correspondent
05:00, 13 Feb 2026
Sergej Jakirovic takes on Liam Rosenior in the FA Cup on Friday night
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Sergej Jakirovic takes on Liam Rosenior in the FA Cup on Friday night(Image: Paul Currie/Shutterstock)
Hull City must go into Friday night's FA Cup tie believing they can pull off a fourth-round shock against World Champions Chelsea when the pair meet at the MKM Stadium, according to head coach Sergej Jakirovic.
A worldwide television audience will tune in to watch the sold-out meeting between Championship promotion hopefuls City and the Premier League Blues in the first game of a busy weekend in the famous old competition.
There's added spice given Chelsea are now managed by ex-Tigers player and manager, Liam Rosenior, who is barely a month into his job at Stamford Bridge, with City's current boss impressed by the work done by his predecessor.
Jakirovic is no stranger to cup upsets, having managed one earlier in his career, when in charge of Gorica, and his side beat Hajduk Split in the Croatian cup. He says his side will have to be at their best and avoid the mistakes that blighted their 3-2 home loss to Bristol City last weekend, if they're to knock out Rosenior's charges.
That result ended the Tigers' five-game unbeaten run, which had taken them to within four points of then leaders Coventry City at the top of the Championship.
"I think he’s (Rosenior) a great manager," the Croatian told Hull Live. "He’s shown his impact already, and they are playing well and creating a lot of chances. They are very dangerous and want to have control. His career is going up, and he showed here in Hull that he is very good, so I hope he will continue like this after our game.
“We have prepared like we would all games, but it is different because it’s one game and in 90 minutes anything is possible. We must believe.
"We must be compact, technically good and don’t make any unforced errors because it's very dangerous, like we did against Bristol City. If Bristol City will punish you, then Chelsea will punish you one hundred per cent.
"We will fight, one hundred per cent. It's a full stadium. It’s a big game, and motivation will be very high, but we must be very smart. We must enjoy this."
Rosenior was dismissed by Tigers owner Acun Ilicali after the Tigers missed out on the top six two years ago, and that may well give the ex-City defender added incentive.
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Jakirovic, though, admits he might be tempted to chat with Rosenior ahead of the game in a bid to try and relax the pre-match nerves on what will be a big night for the hosts.
"He will prepare with full motivation," the effervescent head coach said with a smile as wide as the Humber. "His motivation will be really high, but I must speak with him before the game, maybe to relax. I'm joking. They are professionals like us, and in every game, you want to win."
If City have aspirations of making the step up into the Premier League next season, and sitting fourth in the Championship with 15 games to go, they have the chance to make that dream a reality. Jakirovic is keen to use the game as a marker for their progress.
"That we show that we are confident on the ball, especially that we are brave on the ball, that we don't have any fear to play because it's 11 against 11, you play against a human being.
"Then we can compare where we are in this moment. Some of my players have targets or goals to play in the Premier League, so you can compare immediately one-v-one where we are. This is one challenge and I want to see my team be confident, when we have the ball, we can play against them."
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