Phil Brown has told his Hull players to believe they can go to Old Trafford on Saturday and cause an upset against champions Manchester United (Manchester United 1/6 draw 6/1 Hull 14/1 Premier League – match betting).

A win against Sir Alex Ferguson’s side in the only Premier League fixture would lift the Tigers out of the bottom three and renew hope that the KC Stadium outfit can survive the threat of relegation (Hull 8/13 To Be Relegated).

Brown knows United will be smarting from the 2-1 Carling Cup semi-final first-leg defeat by neighbours Manchester City on Tuesday but is convinced they can be got at while key men such as Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic remain sidelined.

He has also told Hull supporters that he has no intention of telling his players to sit back and contain United.

“We’re not going to go there looking to shut up shop and I’m not going to go there and ask my players not to play,” Brown said

Buoyed by a goalless draw against top-four hopefuls Tottenham last weekend, Brown says there is fresh hope among his players of beating the drop.

He added in the Hull Daily Mail: “The quality of defending on show last weekend was tremendous. There was a collective mentality and togetherness that made me very proud as a manager.

“I sat the players down on Wednesday and told them that but that’s what we’ll need every week between now and the end of the season.”