After eliminating Brighton at Wembley in the FA Cup semifinal after penalties, Manchester United are now traveling to Brighton, where they will hope to be victorious again. Here is what you need to know ahead of this exciting clash.
Team News
Brighton recently had injury problems in their squad, especially following the win against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge. Joel Veltman and Evan Ferguson were the two players who got thigh and ankle problems respectively. But those far from only problems for De Zerbi. Jakub Moder had his ACL torn and will be out for a while, while Tariq Lamptey is out of contention due to a knee injury. Adam Lallana has a thigh problem nad Jeremy Sarmiento is also out due to knee problems. Jason Steele has a knock and is a doubt, but the good news are that Danny Welbeck should roaring to go against his former club.
Man United also have issues of their own. Centre-back partnership of Lisandro Martinez and Raphael Varane is out due to foot and ankle injuries respectively. This means Victor Lindelof will start in defence and probably alongside Luke Shaw, leaving the space at left-back for either Tyrell Malacia or Diogo Dalot. Among the injured players are also Tom Heaton and Alejandro Garnacho, with the young Argentine progressing well towards his return. Donny van de Beek is still out due to a knee injury, Scott McTominay is a doubt after a knock, and then there is Anthony Martial who limped off against Sevilla and could miss out on this match.
Form Guide
If Brighton are ever going to be confident going into the match against Manchester United, it is now. Because Brighton might have lost against the Devils on penalties in the FA Cup semifinal, but last weekend they managed to destroy Wolverhampton in a 6-0 drubbing. Roberto De Zerbi’s side is able to play scintillating football and they showed that in their 2-1 win over Chelsea, or the 2-0 against Brighton last month. But it should also be noted they lost 3-1 against Nottingham Forest after the FA Cup exit.
Man United, on the other hand, are now three matches without a loss since that terrible match in Seville in the Europa League. Only one of those was a clear win, 1-0 against Aston Villa last Sunday, when they managed to stop Unai Emery’s in-form team. Before that, they blew a 2-0 lead to get only a point away at Spurs, and the FA Cup final qualification against Brighton was in fact a 0-0 draw after 120 minutes of football. United will also have to remain focused ahead of this match, considering they have often struggled when playing away from home.
Predicted Outcome
We predict Manchester United will get a 2-1 win at Brighton, which would be a nice result especially after all of the losses the Red Devils suffered against this team. With Brighton’s numerous injuries creating problems to De Zerbi, United should finally be ready to get the three points on the road.
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