On Friday, May 8, 2026, at MKM Stadium, the home team, Hull City, will host London’s Millwall in the first playoff match for promotion to the English Premier League. In the Championship, which concluded last weekend, the hosts finished sixth, while the visitors finished third. The gap in points between the two teams was ten points. Let’s make a prediction for the “Big Cats Derby” based on the teams’ form over the past few weeks.
Hull vs Millwall: What to Expect
Hull City
Sergei Yakirovich’s charges jumped on the playoff train at the last minute. In the final round of the Championship, the “Tigers” defeated Norwich 2-1. Meanwhile, their direct competitor for a top-six spot, Wrexham, managed only a 2-2 home draw against Middlesbrough. So Hull City should be in excellent mental and psychological shape, as they won one “final” just a few days ago.
But let’s not forget that the team has serious problems in central midfield. Three players who were considered starters throughout the season are currently injured: Amir Hadžiahmetović, Elliot Matazo, and Darko Djiafi.
April turned out to be an unsuccessful month for the “Tigers,” although it ended on a high note:
- going into the match against Norwich, Hull had a streak of six winless games (two losses and four draws);
- at the same time, the team has not lost at home in four consecutive games (two wins and two draws);
- in four of the last five matches at the stadium in Hull, at least two goals were scored (with both the home and away teams finding the net).
Overall, in the Championship season, the “Tigers” have scored 70 goals and conceded 66 – a potent attack paired with an unreliable defense.
Millwall F.C.
Alex Neil’s “Lions” lost their direct route to the Premier League in March and early April. It was then, on their home turf, that Millwall suffered two 1-2 defeats – both by the same score – against underdog Blackburn and mid-table Norwich. This could be considered a loss of expected points, but in the Championship, such results are not considered sensational.
In the last round, the “Lions” comfortably defeated underdog Oxford United 2-0. That match was essentially a dress rehearsal for the playoffs.
A few statistical trends to consider ahead of making Hull City vs Millwall prediction:
- the team has scored in nine of its last ten matches;
- Millwall is the best away team in the Championship this season (11 wins, eight draws, four losses);
- in their last five away matches, the “Lions” have scored seven goals.
Overall in the league, the team has scored 64 goals while conceding 49.
Hull vs Millwall: Head-to-Head Matches
Since 2023, the clubs have played seven times, with Hull holding a significant advantage in wins – 4-1. In the recently concluded Championship season, the teams played to a draw twice. In both matches, the visiting teams won 3-1.
| Hull – Millwall H2H | |||
| 2025/26 Season | |||
| Hull City | 1 | 3 | Millwall |
| Millwall | 1 | 3 | Hull City |
| 2024/25 Season | |||
| Millwall | 0 | 1 | Hull City |
| Hull City | 0 | 0 | Millwall |
Hull City vs Millwall Match Prediction
Bookmakers favor the visitors – and rightly so, given the teams’ recent form. The “Lions” last lost an away game back in January.
However, let’s consider that Hull has averaged 1.52 goals scored and nearly as many conceded (1.48) at home this season. One might expect a cautious match, but the “Tigers” don’t know how to play defensively.
Hull vs Millwall prediction: We’re going with over 2.5 goals or both teams will score.
| The Match Predictions | ||
| Total Over 2.5 (~odds at 2.01) | or | Both Teams To Score (~odds at 1.75) |
