Image source, PA

The chances of Jack Grealish starting Aston Villa's first game of this season appeared very slim after the extent of the club's financial problems were made public earlier this summer.

The 22-year-old has constantly been linked with a move to Tottenham, but Grealish remains a Villa player and starts tonight - as does Wales international defender James Chester, who had been strongly linked with a move to Stoke City.

And 2016-17 top scorer Jonathan Kodjia starts too, after missing the majority of last season through injury.

Villa: Steer, Chester, Elphick, Hutton, Elmohamady, Whelan, Hourihane, Taylor, Grealish, Adomah, Kodjia.

Subs: Lansbury, Bree, Green, Bjarnason, Gardner, Hepburn-Murphy, Bunn.

Hull City manager Nigel Adkins' ambition to get his summer spending done before the Tigers players returned to pre-season training on 25 June did not go quite to plan.

But he has still managed to bring in six new recruits.

Image source, PA

The signing of his first new arrival, former Villa defender Eric Lichaj from Nottingham Forest, has since been followed by Serbian striker David Milinkovic from Genoa, Sheffield United goalkeeper George Long and three more defenders - West Ham United's Reece Burke, Jordy de Wijs from PSV and Chelsea youngster Todd Kane on a season-long loan.

So how will they all fit in? Well, it has not impressed the bookmakers, who still have Adkins' Tigers down to finish 18th - 10 places behind Villa. But, for the only two sides in the Championship still with 46 games ahead of them, there is even more reason to be reminded that this is a marathon not a sprint.

At the end of last season, in the wake of Villa's failed promotion bid and the full extent of the Midlands club's financial woes being revealed, there were brief doubts over whether the club would even still be in the Championship come August, never mind whether Steve Bruce would still be in charge.

The departure of John Terry seemed set to trigger a dressing room clear-out. And it still remains a distinct possibility that they might yet have to cash in on their most marketable asset, reported Tottenham Hotspur target Jack Grealish.

Image source, Getty Images

But there have been a lot more signs of hope and optimism since Villa's new owners Wes Edens and Nassef Sawiris promised 'significant investment' and opted to back the much liked and respected Bruce.

New signings have started to come in and, although he has so far brought in only Atletico Madrid goalkeeper Andre Moreira and Manchester United defender Axel Tuanzebe back on loan, Bruce is smiling again.

Times have not been too happy in the Hull footballing world since Steve Bruce led the Tigers to promotion for the second time in four seasons in May 2016.

Two months later, after too many frustrations in his attempts to build a team capable of staying in the top flight, Bruce followed the fourth Championship promotion of his managerial career by quitting Hull.

Image source, Simon Clark - BBC News

In October 2016, while the Tigers were already embarked on the run of one win in 18 Premier League games that was to result in relegation, Bruce resurfaced with Aston Villa. And, so far, he has proved more likely to revisit the top flight again than the Tigers.

While Hull generally failed to reignite under Nigel Adkins, floundering for most of last season before being spared from the threat of a second relegation only by a timely run in March, Bruce was leading Villa to the Championship play-off final.

Good evening and welcome to day four (and live televised match four) of the new EFL Championship season.

Image source, BBC News

Already, judging by this weekend's opening round of fixtures, the Championship is proving as competitive and difficult to read as ever.

And tonight's meeting of Hull City and Aston Villa at the KCOM Stadium looks as hard to read as any of them.