Brighton & Hove Albion will host Manchester United in the Premier League on Saturday afternoon.
Brighton have had a fairly positive start to the season so far, discounting the 3-1 loss to heavy-spending Chelsea. Since that opening day blow, they have recorded a 4-0 Carabao Cup win over League One side Portsmouth, a 3-0 thrashing of Newcastle United in the league, and a 2-0 win over Championship Preston North-End, again in the Carabao Cup. That win over Preston means they will host Manchester United twice in one week. As ever, it’s disappointing for them that they cannot get the fans in for such a big week of football.
Manchester United, on the other hand, have not started so positively. A 3-0 win over Luton Town in the Carabao Cup third round was never going to cover the cracks from last weekend’s disappointing Premier League opener, a 3-1 loss to Crystal Palace at Old Trafford. This is a must-win game for the Red Devils, who have high hopes of a strong season.
Manchester United Looking for First Premier League Points of the Season
Manchester United Will Be Confident of Getting All Three Points
Brighton sit eighth in the Premier League after their win over Newcastle last week, whilst Manchester United, having only played the one game, and lost it, are down in 15th.
Fortunately for Manchester United, they will be confident in their ability to overcome Brighton in Saturday’s early kick-off. Despite losing twice at today’s venue, the AMEX Stadium, in 2018, United have comfortably dispatched of the Seagulls ever since, most recently at the AMEX in June 2020, a 3-0 win that contributed to United’s Champions League qualification after a strong run of form post-lockdown.
The 3-1 win at Old Trafford in November 2019 was particularly pleasing for the Red Devils too. This win came at a time when Manchester United were struggling to beat the teams lower down the table, finding no fortune in their attempts to break down teams that set-up defensively. Brighton played into United’s hands that day. Manchester United wanted to play against teams that would come out and play and allow them to hit them on the break and Graham Potter set his team out to stay true to themselves and play their own game, much to the delight of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
Whether Brighton adopt a similar approach on Saturday remains to be seen, but Manchester United should be ready if they are to do so.
United are a few games short in comparison to Brighton, so fitness levels could well play a part in the game. The Seagulls have plenty of hope, with United looking so poor last week.
No Fresh Injury Concerns
Brighton & Hove Albion boss Graham Potter did not report any fresh injury news in his press conference on Thursday. Long-term absentees Jose Izquierdo, Florin Andone and Christian Walton are out for a number of weeks. Yves Bissouma is suspended and will miss both games against Manchester United before he is eligible to return.
Potter states that former Chelsea midfielder Tariq Lamptey, who has been the recipient of rave reviews, had been receiving treatment this week but trained on Thursday. Former Liverpool midfielder Adam Lallana has also trained throughout the week. Dale Stephens recently left the club for Premier League rivals, Burnley.
Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has also reported no further injury concerns. Defender Axel Tuanzebe is nearing a return to first-team training but remains unavailable for selection. Phil Jones is also still injured and out of the picture.
United rotated for the successful trip to Kenilworth Road on Tuesday night. Solskjaer will no doubt return to a strong starting 11. That said, Dean Henderson, Eric Bailly and Donny van de Beek all shone in the Carabao Cup game and are asking the question to Solskjaer. Particularly Eric Bailly, as long as he can keep fit, with Victor Lindelof‘s concerning displays of late.
Mason Greenwood and Marcus Rashford should be full of confidence, having scored with such a short amount of time on the pitch on Tuesday night. Anthony Martial will be looking to get off the mark for the season too.
United to Take Advantage Again
Brighton are going to stay true to their play-style and Manchester United are going to take advantage of that once again on Saturday. The game isn’t going to run away from the Seagulls, they will walk out of their own stadium with their heads held high, having been beaten by the better team, a team that absolutely needs this win.
Prediction: Brighton & Hove Albion 1-3 Manchester United
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