Manchester United vs Brighton & Hove Albion Preview: Team news, predictions, where to watch…

Manchester United vs Brighton & Hove Albion kicks off at 3:00pm on Saturday 16th of September – a must win occasions for both sides as they look to push towards the Champions league qualification spots.

Manchester United

A turbulent start to the season – both on and off the field – has left Manchester United with only six points from their opening four games, leaving them in 11th position. 

Last time out, the Red Devils fell to an agonisingly late 3-1 away loss to long-time rivals Arsenal. 

Despite taking the lead through Marcus Rashford in the 27th minute, the North-West based club were instantly pegged back through Martin Odegaard’s powerful strike in the 28th minute. 

Man United thought they had re-taken the lead through Alejandro Garnacho late on in the game – however, VAR ruled the goal out for offside. 

This gave Arsenal the opportunity to win the game through a Declan Rice goal in injury time, which was swiftly followed by Gabriel Jesus’ intelligently take goal to finish the game off.

Yet, the Red Devils can look back at many positives from the Arsenal game. Having looked comfortable in possession for the majority of the game, they were also somewhat clinical with the limited chances presented to them.

Along with this, Man United were able to go toe-to-toe with Arsenal for the majority of the game, despite various injury problems before and during the encounter.

The list of players unavailable to Man United has chopped and changed over the course of the international break.

They will be without the likes of Raphael Varane, Amad Diallo, Tyrell Malacia, Tom Heaton and Luke Shaw as they all recover from long-term injuries. 

Furthermore, Anthony will not be available due to his ongoing legal issues, and has not returned to training – while Jadon Sancho is unlikely to feature due to his ongoing spat with Erik Ten Hag. 

This leaves the United manager with a selection headache, creating a serious question of who will start on the right hand side for Man United – will there be a change of position for Rashford or Garnacho? Or will Facundo Pellistri receive his chance?

Players such as Kobbie Mainoo and Sofyan Amrabat are still doubts coming into this weekend’s fixture and it is unlikely we will see them in action. 

Moreover, on a positive note for Man United fans, it is likely they will see the return of Mason Mount, Lisandro Martinez and Victor Lindelöf, who have recovered during the international break. 

Thus, Manchester United vs Brighton & Hove Albion is a crucial game for the home side. After a poor start to the season, a win here could set them back on track whilst reducing the gap on one of their top 4 rivals. 

Predicted XI:

Onana; Wan-Bissaka, Lindelof, Martinez, Reguilon; Casemiro, Eriksen, Fernandes; Rashford, Hojlund, Garnacho

Brighton & Hove Albion

Brighton & Hove Albion have had a positive start to the season, winning three of their four games – with the only blip coming against West Ham United.

The Seagulls come into the fixture against Man United after an emphatic 3-1 victory against Eddie Howe’s Newcastle United – an Evan Ferguson hattrick led the Albion to an important victory and the visitors could only muster a consolation goal in injury time via Callum Wilson.

Brighton will be looking forward to the next week of football as they enter European competition for the first time in their history. However, they must face off against the Red Devils at Old Trafford first, before their European adventure. 

The East Sussex based team does have some players ruled out ahead of the clash. Jakub Moder and Julio Enciso are both almost certainly ruled out – the latter is still suffering from a knee injury.

Whereas other players, such as Evan Ferguson, Danny Welbeck, Ansu Fati and Carlos Baleba are all doubts – Evan Ferguson also had to pull out of the Ireland squad after reporting a sore knee.

Danny Welbeck missed the Newcastle clash with a minor issue, and it’s unconfirmed whether he will be fit for the tie against his former club. 

Ansu Fati and Carlos Baleba joined late in the summer transfer window and weren’t fit enough for the game against the Magpies. Thus, it is unclear whether they’ll be ready for Saturday’s game.

However, this may not be Brighton fans’ most anticipated game this week. It is still crucial to ensure they achieve European football again next season. Will the Seagulls be able to pull off another victory at Old Trafford?

Predicted XI:

Verbruggen; Estupinan, Dunk, Van Hecke, Veltman; Grob, Gilmour, Pedro; Mitoma, March, Ferguson

Will the Seagulls bring down the fortress of Old Trafford?

Manchester United vs Brighton & Hove Albion is poised to be another spectacle considering both teams’ previous games.

The Red Devils will be hoping to get back on track following a tough defeat in North London, while proving that off-field issues have not crept into matchday squads.

Brighton will enter the game full of confidence and, assuming their Irish talisman starts, confidence will be high amongst fans that they can pull off another victory at Old Trafford.

A loss for the home side is a disastrous thought and will leave them way off the mark with their competitors, whereas an away victory would further solidify Brighton’s position as a top Premier League team.

The writing is seemingly on the wall for Erik Ten Hag’s side to lose after all the controversy surrounding the club prior to and during the international break. Will Brighton further dig Man United’s grave? Or can Man United cast a shadow over their issues and defeat Roberto De Zerbi’s mighty Seagulls?

Where to watch:

3pm kick-off – unavailable in the UK

Score Prediction:

Manchester United 2-2 Brighton & Hove Albion

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