Man U vs. Brighton
Venue: Old Trafford
Kick off: 3PM
Manchester United welcome Brighton & Hove Albion to Old Trafford with both sides looking for a win heading into the international break.
The Red Devils currently sit 14th in the Premier League table, two points behind Graham Potter’s Seagulls.
United responded from their loss to Bournemouth last weekend by beating Partizan Belgrade 3-0 on Thursday, a result that took their run to just one defeat in six since the last international break.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s men were highly impressive in the week and they could quite easily have had five or six, with Anthony Martial, Marcus Rashford and Mason Greenwood dovetailing well.
United will be looking for more of the same against a Brighton side whose expansive style means that they can be a little suspect defensively when hit with pace on the counter.
The only downsides from Thursday’s game were the knocks picked up by Scott McTominay and Harry Maguire, who have been influential in United looking more solid defensively for the most part during this campaign and being able to play out from the back.
Solskjaer will be hoping that both are fine to play at the weekend as United are currently riddled with injuries, with seven first team regulars already ruled out and Ashley Young suspended.
Central to their effectiveness on Sunday will be Rashford, who has been their most productive player in the Premier League this season, scoring five and creating another three.
The academy product is one of just four people to score for United in their first 11 league games, a number joint with Crystal Palace as the lowest in the division.
More encouragingly for United is the fact that they are unbeaten in their last 41 home leagues matches in the month of November, a record stretching back to 1996.
Brighton are reaping the rewards of Graham Potter’s attack-minded football and they could make it three wins on the spin with victory today.
The former Swansea coach has set the Seagulls up to press in numbers and continually look for openings, an approach that has seen them look threatening and ask questions of every team they’ve faced this season.
Key to that has been both their success in the air, an area where United have often struggled of late, and the influence of their substitutes, with both Shane Duffy and Leandro Trossard scoring after coming off the bench last weekend against Norwich City.
Their attacking intent and the fact that Solskjaer’s side have only kept two clean sheets in their last 22 Premier League matches suggests that Brighton will have chances during today’s game.
The Seagulls, who have a mostly-fit squad, will be hoping that United are suffering from a European hangover after playing on Thursday, something that would allow them to make a strong start and put the home team under pressure.
While Brighton’s away record against the traditional top six in England’s top flight isn’t great, they have beaten the Manchester side twice since being promoted to the Premier League.
However, both of those wins have come at the Amex Stadium and, in fact, all four games between the two in the league over the last two seasons have been won by the home side and all four have been decided by a one-goal margin.
Man U possible XI: De Gea, Wan-Bissaka, Maguire, Rojo, Williams, McTominay, Fred, James, Lingard, Rashford, Martial.
Brighton & Hove Albion possible XI: Ryan, Montoya, Duffy, Dunk, Burn, Trossard, Gross, Stephens, Alzate, Maupay, Connolly.