Jose Mourinho’s Manchester United side will be looking to make it back-to-back wins at the start of the season when they take on Brighton at the Amex Stadium on Sunday afternoon. The Red Devils beat Leicester 2-1 at Old Trafford in their opening game, while Brighton had a poor start, losing 2-0 away to Watford.
United were pushed all the way by Leicester in their opening game, but they took an early lead, thanks to a penalty in the third minute scored by captain Paul Pogba. The French midfielder put in a superb performance as he lead the side for the first time in Antonio Valencia’s absence, with Mourinho himself describing his performance as “monstrous”. However, there’s a discord between Pogba and Mourinho at the moment, with rumours of the midfielder leaving for Barcelona proving to be a distraction while the transfer window remains open in Spain.
As for Brighton, they’re in desperate need of a win after a poor start to the season, which saw them put in a poor display at Vicarage Road. The Seagulls bought in lots of players over the summer and it’s now up to Chris Hughton to get them to gel together, otherwise they could be in trouble and in danger of relegation as the season wears on. One positive that Hughton can draw on though is Brighton’s 1-0 victory over United at the Amex Stadium in May, in what was a key tie for the Seagulls at the end of last season.
Brighton vs. Manchester United Predictions
It’s hard to see Brighton get anything out of this game if Paul Pogba continues on his current form. The Frenchman has been imperious since the final in Russia and United will be boosted by the return of Jesse Lingard and Romelu Lukaku. They need to win these games if they’re to mount a serious title challenge and I can
Brighton vs. Manchester United Betting Tips
- Manchester United to win 2-0: 13/2
- Romelu Lukaku to score first: 7/2
- Over 2.5 goals in the game: 6/5
Head to Head
- Brighton have beaten United twice before, with the most recent win (1-0) coming at the Amex back in May this year.
- However, the Red Devils have won 12 encounters with the Seagulls, with the sides sharing five draws.
- Brighton were unbeaten in their four home Premier League matches on a Sunday last season (W2 D2), while Manchester United have lost four of their last five away Premier League matches on a Sunday (W1).
- No Manchester United player has had more shots on target in the Premier League this season than the two of Luke Shaw or as many touches in the opposition box as the left-back’s three.
- Brighton’s Pascal Gross has three goals and three assists in his last seven Premier League appearances at the Amex Stadium.
- Romelu Lukaku has scored against 17 of the current 20 Premier League clubs, but Brighton are one of the three he has yet to score against, along with Cardiff City and Wolverhampton Wanderers.
Brighton Team News
Jose Izquierdo, Florin Andone and Bruno Saltor are all doubts for Sunday’s game.
Probably Brighton XI: Mathew Ryan, Bruno Saltor, Shane Duffy, Lewis Dunk, Bernardo, Anthony Knockaert, Dale Stephens, Davy Propper, Solly March, Pascal Gross, Glenn Murray
Manchester United Team News
Nemanja Matic, Diogo Dalot, Ander Herrera, Antonio Valencia and Sergio Romero will all miss out on the trip to the south coast. However, Jesse Lingard and Phil Jones could return to the starting line-up, while Romelu Lukaku is also pushing for a first start of the season.
Probable Manchester United XI: David de Gea, Matteo Darmian, Eric Bailly, Victor Lindelof, Luke Shaw, Fred, Andreas Pereira, Paul Pogba, Juan Mata, Alexis Sanchez, Romelu Lukaku
@dominictrant
