High flying Brighton and Hove Albion travel to the North West this time to face Manchester United on Sunday. The Seagulls have started the season on the up and have been had some strong performances in the opening 11 game weeks.
Coach Graham Potter took charge at the start of the campaign after long serving manager, Chris Hughton was sacked following the side’s 17th place finish last season.
Potter would be buoyed by how his men have fared up until now and would be looking to push for a top half finish.
They beat Norwich City 2-0 last Sunday and sit on the 8th place, a couple of points above Manchester United in 10th.
The Seagulls have had their luck with injuries as well this season and new signings have also hit the ground running. Leandro Trossard is the man to keep an eye on.
Manchester United on the other hand, have had a poor start to the season and have dropped points every now and then.
Last weekend, saw Bournemouth beat United 1-0, which broke their 3 game winning streak in all competitions. They beat FK Partizan 3-0 on Thursday night in the Europa League to lighten the situation for under pressure Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
The Red Devils still have a host of injury problems as likes of Pogba, Shaw, Bailly, Matic and Tuanzebe all remain sidelined.
Midfielder Scott McTominay further added to their injury woes and is also a doubt for Sunday’s tricky game.
Graham Potter’s only win against United dates back to the 1996-97 season when his Southampton side managed to shock United with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer in the playing eleven.
This fixture last season ended as a 2-1 win for the Red Devils as a Paul Pogba penalty and a stunning goal by Marcus Rashford saw off a late charge by the Seagulls.
PREDICTED LINE-UPS:
Paul Pogba’s absence means United continue with the pair of Scot McTominay and Brazilian Fred in the holding position roles.
Harry Maguire started pretty well as a United player but defensive issues still persist with the Red Devils. David De Gea is expected to be on duty in the goal.
Luke Shaw is back in training but probably will only make up the bench. The return of Anthony Martial is a much needed relief for the Old Trafford faithful with the Frenchman also scoring in the midweek win over Partizan. Marcus Rashford’s perfect role still remains unclear as where should the Three Lions man start.
Predicted Line-Ups:
De Gea, Young (C), Maguire, Lindelof, Wan Bissaka, McTominay, Fred, James, Rashford, Pereira, Martial 4-2-3-1
Brighton have started the season well and new signing Leandro Trossard could well be the best bit of transfer activity in the last few years for the Seagulls. The 25 year old Belgian has been involved in 2 goals and 1 assists but performances have shown that the attacker is playing really well. Aaron Connolly is another player who has shone so far this season. Experience in the back four with Lewis Dunk and Mathew Ryan means the defense is strong but some times lacks pace falling back.
Holding a high line against players such as Martial and Rashford won’t be a mistake another experienced man like Graham Potter would commit.
Predicted Line-Ups:
Ryan, Burn, Dunk (C), Duffy, Montoya, Alzate Stephens, Groß, Trossard, Connolly, Maupay
4-3-1-2
Referee: Jonathan Moss
Venue: Old Trafford, Manchester (76000)
English Premier League, Round 12
Time: 12:00 GMT, Sunday
