Man United vs. Brighton
Venue: Old Trafford
Kick off: 7:30PM
Manchester United will be looking to respond to their disappointing FA Cup exit prior to the international break when they host Brighton & Hove Albion in the Premier League.
The Red Devils lost 3-1 to Leicester City in the quarter-finals, but they sit second in the league heading into this weekend’s fixtures.
Brighton, meanwhile, are six points above the relegation zone after beating fellow strugglers Newcastle United 3-0 in their most recent outing.
United have had a fortnight to stew on their loss at the King Power Stadium, which leaves them effectively fighting for silverware on just one front.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s men take on Granada in the first leg of their Europa League quarter-final next week and that tie must now take priority.
The Red Devils have too much work to do in the league if they are to chase down leaders Manchester City, who are 15 points better off after playing a game more.
That is despite United winning back-to-back matches in the league, against City and West Ham United, and going nine without defeat in the competition.
Solskjaer will have to be happy with the tag of ‘best of the rest’ given the Citizens’ incredible form over the past five months.
If Brighton are to pull off an upset at Old Trafford then they will have to find a way through United’s solid defence, which has now gone four league games without conceding.
The Seagulls will be in confident mood, though, having followed up a 2-1 win at Southampton with a 3-0 victory at home to Newcastle in their last two games.
Graham Potter’s men were in serious relegation trouble after losing three in a row prior to this winning run, but they have a six-point buffer on the dropzone and should be okay.
Two more wins from their remaining nine matches could be enough to seal a place in the Premier League for another year, though one of those wins is unlikely to come this afternoon.
Man United possible XI: De Gea, Wan-Bissaka, Bailly, Maguire, Shaw, Pogba, Fred, James, Fernandes, Rashford, Cavani.
Brighton possible XI: Sanchez, White, Dunk, Burn, Gross, Bissouma, Lallana, Moder, Trossard, Maupay, Welbeck.
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