The Tigers face newly-promoted Town in a huge Premier League clash at the MKM Stadium
Sergej Jakirovic knows the importance of the clash against Ipswich Town(Image: Owen Humphreys/PA Wire)
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Sergej Jakirovic says the visit of Ipswich Town doesn't add any extra pressure for his Hull City team, with a trip to champions Arsenal to come next weekend.
City host the Tractor Boys at the MKM Stadium on Saturday, aiming to win for the first time since the end of August, against the side who finished second in the Championship last season and have enjoyed a strong start to life back in the Premier League.
The Tigers are unbeaten at the MKM Stadium so far this season, having beaten Manchester United, and then claiming draws with Aston Villa, Everton and Brentford.
Both City and Town would have targeted this game as a huge opportunity to get three points, but Jakirovic believes the importance of the fixture is no greater than the clash at the Emirates next weekend in the final outing before the international break.
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"My opinion is that we have to win every game, no matter who the opponent is," Jakirovic told Hull Live. "It's also my approach, and I try to transmit this to the players, no matter where we are, against who we are playing and where. Our target must be three points. Just this approach could bring you something. This is how I'm thinking, and this is my opinion.
"I can say every game has pressure, but you know already what I said, the target is to take three points, and then we will see. Arsenal also has a very busy schedule with fixtures and a lot of injuries. It's very difficult to play every three days, and everyone is highly motivated against you, so we'll see game by game."
On the subject of Ipswich, Jakirovic will face a side that got the better of him twice last season, albeit under Kieran McKenna. And not only will he come up against two ex-City favourites in Jacob Greaves and Jaden Philogene, but he'll also come face-to-face with two players he tried to sign in the summer, Florentino Luis and Emersonn.
"They invested a lot, I think they brought over 20 players and even last season with Kieran McKenna, they were for me very, very good," the Croatian continued, before joking that the Tractor Boys stole two players from under the noses of the Tigers in the summer.
"They won promotion as the second team and in the league, and they beat us twice last season, so I know how difficult they are, and now they even have more speed. They added some quality, good players. I can say they stole two players from me, but OK. I'm expecting a demanding game like always. We both have 10 points, so we will see. I'm expecting a tough game, but I'm also expecting that we continue to play like against Brentford.
"Captain (Dara) O'Shea is playing right full back now, together with (Issa) Diop in the centre back, so he was excellent for me last season. Emersonn is there, and (Julio) Enciso is there.
"We know (Abdul) Fatawu from Leicester, (Jack) Clark, (Jaden) Philogene is there, (Leif) Davis, they're a good team, Florentino (Luis), so I can now count (Exequiel) Palacios, I know everyone. They are a good team.
"They still need some time, but also Gary (O.Neill) tried to input something to be better in possession. They are very fast in counterattacks, so we should be very cautious there, and we must stop these potential special counterattacks."
City have found themselves in winning positions against Everton and Brentford in their last two home outings, but have been unable to go on and claim victories, instead being forced to settle for score draws.
"This is also experience. We have conceded some cheap goals, but it's also the opponent's quality. We can stop these goals. I think we have conceded five goals so far that we could have stopped, so this is also an area for improvement and for the players to gain experience. We have to take lessons from every game, and unfortunately, it's always on us. I hope we will improve this, and we will perform even better."
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