Manchester United return to Premier League action as they welcome Brighton and Hove Albion to Old Trafford this evening. Just before the international break, United exited the Emirates FA Cup at the quarter-final stage, losing 3-1 to Leicester City. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side will be seeking to get back on track in the league, cementing their second-placed position this season which is a must. They will also compete in the UEFA Europa League this week, facing Spanish side Granada in Spain in the first leg of the quarter-final of the competition. United will know that beating Brighton is a must this weekend to continue to build positively.
Brighton manager Graham Potter will also be seeking to continue his clubs winning run of the last two matches, after three defeats and a draw in their last six matches. Brighton are six points clear of the relegation zone, having a game in hand over Fulham, who are the team with the best chance of evading relegation this season. United sit in second-place, a point clear of Leicester City, who were beaten by Manchester City, who are now 17 points clear of United. United have a six-point cushion over fourth-placed Chelsea and an eight-point cushion over fifth placed West Ham United.
Manchester United:
Henderson;
Wan-Bissaka, Lindelof, Maguire, Shaw;
Fred, Pogba;
Greenwood, Fernandes, Rashford;
Cavani
Substitutes:
De Gea; Williams, Tuanzebe; Diallo, James, Matic, McTominay, Van de Beek
Brighton and Hove Albion:
Sanchez;
White, Dunk, Veltman;
Gross, Lallana, Bissouma, Moder;
Trossard;
Maupay, Welbeck
Substitutes:
Steele; Karbownik; Mac Allister, Alzate, Propper, Caicedo; Jahanbakhsh, Izquierdo, Zeqri
United and Brighton have met seven times in the history of the Premier League. United have won five times, there have been no draws between the two clubs but Brighton have won twice. United have scored 14 goals against Brighton, conceding eight in all of the matches played. United have won three penalties, scoring all of them with Brighton winning two penalties, scoring both of them. United have kept just two clean sheets against Brighton, who have kept just one against United. United players have been booked seven times against Brighton with no red cards. Brighton players have been booked 14 times against United with no red cards.
At the start of the current season, United played Brighton twice at the Amex Stadium winning 3-0 in the Carabao Cup and winning 3-2 in the Premier League. Looking at the league fixture, Lewis Dunk’s own goal in the 43rd minute levelled the score after Neal Maupay opened the scoring three minutes prior. Marcus Rashford put United ahead in the 55th minute with Solly March levelling the score five minutes into added time. It looked like it was going to be a draw but VAR gave a penalty after the whistle had been blown with Bruno Fernandes earning a victory for United. In this fixture last season, it was a 3-1 victory for United.
Written by John Walker
