Manchester United are looking for their third straight Premier League win as they welcome Brighton & Hove Albion to Old Trafford on Saturday evening.
These two sides haven't met since January, when the Seagulls flew away with a comfortable 3-1 away victory against the Red Devils.
For a long stretch this season, things looked pretty bleak for Manchester United. But lately, they've found their stride, winning back-to-back Premier League games for the first time under Ruben Amorim—almost a year after he took the job!
They followed up a solid 2-0 home win over Sunderland with a massive, and perhaps surprising, 2-1 triumph away at a struggling Liverpool last weekend. Goals from Bryan Mbeumo and Harry Maguire secured the club's first victory at Anfield since the Louis van Gaal era back in 2016.
That win against the reigning champions was a huge moment for Amorim, who has been backed by minority shareholder Sir Jim Ratcliffe with a three-year runway to prove himself. The victory has propelled United up to ninth in the Premier League table, sitting just three points behind rivals Manchester City.
United will be happy to be back at Old Trafford, where they've won their last three Premier League home games. That’s as many home wins as they managed in their previous 13 matches in front of their own fans. However, their last great home run (eight consecutive wins in 2023) was actually snapped by... Brighton, in a 3-1 defeat.
In fact, the 20-time English champions have really struggled against Brighton recently, losing six of their last seven league meetings. To put that in perspective, that’s double the amount of defeats they suffered against the Seagulls in their first 17 league encounters!
Since a mid-September loss at Bournemouth, Brighton has been consistently switching between a draw and a win in their last four Premier League matches, logging impressive 3-1 victories over Chelsea and Newcastle in that run.
Former United player Danny Welbeck was the hero against Newcastle, scoring twice, including an 84th-minute winner. The Seagulls currently sit in 10th place, just one point behind the Red Devils.
Despite having three wins out of eight this season, Fabián Hürzeler's side has actually spent the lowest share of their game time winning (24.1%) compared to any other match state—they've spent more time losing (38.1%) or drawing (37.8%).
Keeping a clean sheet has been a long-standing issue for Brighton; they’ve only managed one in their last 20 Premier League matches. Even so, they've been tough to beat overall, losing only two of their last 13 top-flight fixtures.
Hürzeler and his team will definitely fancy their chances this Saturday, as they have incredibly won each of their last three Premier League away games against Manchester United. The last side to manage more consecutive league wins at Old Trafford was Manchester City, between 1968 and 1972 (five).
INJURIES & SUSPENSIONS
Saturday's match will likely come too soon for defender Lisandro Martínez, although he is making good progress in his recovery from the serious knee injury he picked up in February and could be back in first-team training this week.
Manager Ruben Amorim has a few selection dilemmas. Leny Yoro is pushing for a recall at centre-back, which would mean one of Harry Maguire, Matthijs de Ligt, or Luke Shaw dropping out. At wing-back, Amorim needs to decide whether to stick with Amad Diallo and Diogo Dalot or bring Patrick Dorgu back onto the left side.
Up front, Benjamin Šeško, who scored in two straight Premier League games before being benched against Liverpool, could return to the starting XI in place of Mason Mount. He would likely be supported in attack by Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo. Interestingly, Mbeumo has been very effective against Brighton, contributing to six Premier League goals against them (three goals, three assists)—a total only surpassed by his record against Southampton.
Brighton has a few definite injury absences: Solly March and Adam Webster (both knee), and Jack Hinshelwood (ankle) remain sidelined. They also have a quartet of players who will face late fitness assessments before kickoff: Kaoru Mitoma (ankle), Joël Veltman (calf), Diego Gómez (hip), and Brajan Gruda (knee).
At left-back, Maxim De Cuyper will likely be battling Ferdi Kadıoğlu for the starting spot. However, if neither Mitoma nor Gómez are fit to start, De Cuyper could be pushed further forward to the left-wing role where he played as a substitute against Newcastle.
In midfield, Carlos Baleba, a player who has been heavily linked with a move to United, is challenging for a place in the starting lineup. Meanwhile, Danny Welbeck—who is in terrific form with four goals in his last three Premier League matches—is set to lead the line and could be joined in attack by Georginio Rutter and Yankuba Minteh.
POSSIBLE LINE-UPS
Manchester United possible starting lineup:
Lammens; De Ligt, Maguire, Shaw; Amad, Casemiro, Fernandes, Dalot; Mbeumo, Cunha; Sesko
Brighton & Hove Albion possible starting lineup:
Verbruggen; Wieffer, Dunk, Van Hecke, Kadioglu; Baleba, Ayari; Minteh, Rutter, De Cuyper; Welbeck
EXPERT PREDICTIONS
Manchester United 2-1 Brighton
