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Preview: Manchester United meet Brighton aiming for third straight win

Preview: Manchester United meet Brighton aiming for third straight win

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Manchester United return to Old Trafford following their Liverpool success to take on Brighton team who are also recovering from a disappointing start to the season.

By Ian King

Both teams have momentum that they’ll be looking to maintain

Both Manchester United and Brighton are on an upward trajectory that they’ll be looking to maintain, going into this late Saturday afternoon fixture at Old Trafford. United come into this match off the back of their 2-1 win at Anfield last Sunday, and have now won three of their last four games, lifting them into the top half of the Premier League for the first time since their win against Burnley briefly took them to 9th ahead of the September international break. 

But Brighton have also recovered from a mixed start. Having lost two of their first four matches, they’ve now gone four League games unbeaten since the middle of September, and they had a similarly impressive result to United last weekend, with a 2-1 win against Newcastle United at the Amex.

Manchester United’s recent record against Brighton is pretty terrible

Manchester United have a pretty terrible record in recent matches against Brighton (particularly at home), having lost six and won just two of their last eight meetings, with one of those two wins being on penalties following a goalless draw in the 2023 FA Cup semi-final at Wembley. Brighton completed a league double over United last season, winning 2-1 at the Amex and 3-1 at Old Trafford.

The previous three meetings at Old Trafford

Getting Mbeumo scoring regularly could get United on track, while Welbeck could offer a reminder of what they lost

If there’s one player more than any other who seems likely to lead Manchester United back to sunnier climes, it’s Bryan Mbeumo. He took exactly a minute to open the scoring at Anfield last weekend, and getting him scoring regularly – he’s managed just two in eight in the League so far this season – would go a long way towards getting them back challenging for a European place. After all, it’s all very well talking about United having an advantage over their rivals on account of having no European football this season, but a club of this size really needs European football.

It’s now been more than a decade since Danny Welbeck was a Manchester United player, but the striker has hit a rich vein of form this season, with his four goals in eight appearances including both goals in their win against Newcastle. There’s even been talk of him getting an England recall at 34 years of age following an absence of seven years. He has it in him to become Albion’s talisman, this season.

United’s injury woes have eased, but Brighton could be without several familiar names

Manchester United’s injury problems seem to be easing. Long-term absentee Lisandro Martínez is close to a return but won’t make this one, but Leny Yoro could push for a return after only making a five-minute cameo at the end of the Liverpool match. Benjamin Šeško was also on the bench for that match, but he could also return to lead their attack. 

Brighton have injury problems, both in the short and long-term. Solly March, Adam Webster and Jack Hinshelwood all remain out of action, while Kaoru Mitoma, Joel Veltman, Diego Gómez and Brajan Gruda will all need pre-match fitness tests. Carlos Baleba, who Manchester United lusted after all summer, is likely to start in midfield. 

Both teams are on an upward trajectory, but there’s little between them at the moment

It would be a bit premature to say that Manchester United are BACK – Liverpool were abject last Sunday, yet still unfortunate to not take a point from the game – but confidence is building around Old Trafford and it’s starting to look as though Ruben Amorim is getting his system through to his players. 

Brighton, meanwhile, have been slowly improving since a poor start to the season, and while they do have injury problems, their win against Newcastle United last weekend was a reminder that they’re a team that you simply cannot take for granted. 

If Manchester United want to get back towards the top end of the table, this is the sort of home match to win. But Brighton have a good record against them in recent fixtures, and their confidence will be high following last weekend’s excellent result. 

United still have question marks hanging over their defence and Brighton can blow hot and cold (often within the same 90 minutes), so I’m going for a 2-2 draw and for these two teams to end their weekend where they started it, in the middle of the Premier League table but continuing to look in an upward direction. 

(Cover image from IMAGO)

You can follow every game from the Premier League with FotMob this season – featuring deep stats coverage, xG, and player ratings. Download the free app here.

Preview: Manchester United meet Brighton aiming for third straight win

Manchester United return to Old Trafford following their Liverpool success to take on Brighton team who are also recovering from a disappointing start to the season.

By Ian King

Both teams have momentum that they’ll be looking to maintain

Both Manchester United and Brighton are on an upward trajectory that they’ll be looking to maintain, going into this late Saturday afternoon fixture at Old Trafford. United come into this match off the back of their 2-1 win at Anfield last Sunday, and have now won three of their last four games, lifting them into the top half of the Premier League for the first time since their win against Burnley briefly took them to 9th ahead of the September international break. 

But Brighton have also recovered from a mixed start. Having lost two of their first four matches, they’ve now gone four League games unbeaten since the middle of September, and they had a similarly impressive result to United last weekend, with a 2-1 win against Newcastle United at the Amex.

Manchester United’s recent record against Brighton is pretty terrible

Manchester United have a pretty terrible record in recent matches against Brighton (particularly at home), having lost six and won just two of their last eight meetings, with one of those two wins being on penalties following a goalless draw in the 2023 FA Cup semi-final at Wembley. Brighton completed a league double over United last season, winning 2-1 at the Amex and 3-1 at Old Trafford.

The previous three meetings at Old Trafford

Getting Mbeumo scoring regularly could get United on track, while Welbeck could offer a reminder of what they lost

If there’s one player more than any other who seems likely to lead Manchester United back to sunnier climes, it’s Bryan Mbeumo. He took exactly a minute to open the scoring at Anfield last weekend, and getting him scoring regularly – he’s managed just two in eight in the League so far this season – would go a long way towards getting them back challenging for a European place. After all, it’s all very well talking about United having an advantage over their rivals on account of having no European football this season, but a club of this size really needs European football.

It’s now been more than a decade since Danny Welbeck was a Manchester United player, but the striker has hit a rich vein of form this season, with his four goals in eight appearances including both goals in their win against Newcastle. There’s even been talk of him getting an England recall at 34 years of age following an absence of seven years. He has it in him to become Albion’s talisman, this season.

United’s injury woes have eased, but Brighton could be without several familiar names

Manchester United’s injury problems seem to be easing. Long-term absentee Lisandro Martínez is close to a return but won’t make this one, but Leny Yoro could push for a return after only making a five-minute cameo at the end of the Liverpool match. Benjamin Šeško was also on the bench for that match, but he could also return to lead their attack. 

Brighton have injury problems, both in the short and long-term. Solly March, Adam Webster and Jack Hinshelwood all remain out of action, while Kaoru Mitoma, Joel Veltman, Diego Gómez and Brajan Gruda will all need pre-match fitness tests. Carlos Baleba, who Manchester United lusted after all summer, is likely to start in midfield. 

Both teams are on an upward trajectory, but there’s little between them at the moment

It would be a bit premature to say that Manchester United are BACK – Liverpool were abject last Sunday, yet still unfortunate to not take a point from the game – but confidence is building around Old Trafford and it’s starting to look as though Ruben Amorim is getting his system through to his players. 

Brighton, meanwhile, have been slowly improving since a poor start to the season, and while they do have injury problems, their win against Newcastle United last weekend was a reminder that they’re a team that you simply cannot take for granted. 

If Manchester United want to get back towards the top end of the table, this is the sort of home match to win. But Brighton have a good record against them in recent fixtures, and their confidence will be high following last weekend’s excellent result. 

United still have question marks hanging over their defence and Brighton can blow hot and cold (often within the same 90 minutes), so I’m going for a 2-2 draw and for these two teams to end their weekend where they started it, in the middle of the Premier League table but continuing to look in an upward direction. 

(Cover image from IMAGO)

You can follow every game from the Premier League with FotMob this season – featuring deep stats coverage, xG, and player ratings. Download the free app here.