Tough ask: Hull City head coach says achieving Premier League survival is '˜still very difficult'

Hull Citys head coach Marco Silva was in charge of Olympiacos when they won at Arsenal in 2015 (Picture: Martin Rickett/PA Wire).

The Portuguese was at the helm of Olympiacos in September, 2015, when the Greek club beat the Gunners 3-2 in a Champions League tie in which back-up goalkeeper David Ospina endured a nightmare evening.

Ospina may be back between the posts for Hull’s lunchtime visit due to Arsene Wenger having concerns over Petr Cech’s form but Silva, fresh from taking four points off Manchester United and Liverpool in back-to-back games, insists his own triumph in North London a little under 17 months ago will have no bearing on tomorrow’s televised encounter.

“Arsenal has good memories for me,” said the 39-year-old, who will be without Michael Dawson (calf) and Abel Hernandez (hamstring) for up to four weeks.

“When I last played there, it was a great result for Olympiacos, and, yes, it was good to go there and win. But that was a different moment. This is a different competition and a different moment and different clubs.”

The mood around Hull has changed dramatically thanks to the improvements made by a team re-modelled by Silva.

Silva is, of course, pleased at the change of mindset, but he is also adamant that no one at the club can rest on their laurels.

“I am happy because it has been a good start, but I want my players to keep their feet on the ground because we have won nothing,” he added.

“It is still very difficult to achieve our goal of keeping the club in the Premier League, but we do now have confidence.”

One player who has shone under Silva is Tom Huddlestone and the Portuguese admits to being delighted with the one-time England international.

“Tom is a very good professional with high quality,” he said. “You all know this. But I see Tom with a different motivation.

“He is a player who works well during the week, but with the quality that Tom has, he needs to do more.

“He is a fantastic player. He’s an important player for our team. He knows what I want. He’s a clever player and if have good quality, you need to be in better condition, more fit if it’s possible. For now, what he has done has been fantastic and I’m really happy with him.”