Preview: Brighton & Hove Albion vs Manchester United – stats, team news, line-ups

Manchester United travel to the Amex Stadium for Saturday’s lunchtime clash against Brighton & Hove Albion, looking to build on their narrow opening-weekend victory over Fulham.

Brighton’s new manager, Fabian Hurzeler, announced himself to the Premier League with a resounding 3-0 victory over ten-man Everton at Goodison Park last weekend.

Kaoru Mitoma’s first-half opener was followed by a brilliant second goal from Danny Welbeck just before the hour mark.

Substitute Simon Adingra then rubbed salt into Everton’s wounds by netting a third in the closing stages.

Brighton’s highly-rated German manager could not have dreamt of a better start to life in the Premier League, and his side will undoubtedly welcome United brimming with confidence.

The Red Devils left it late to snatch a 1-0 win over Fulham in their curtain raiser and will travel to the South Coast knowing they’ll need a much-improved performance to come away with a positive result.

Still reeling from their Community Shield penalty shoot-out defeat to fierce rivals Manchester City, United struggled to find their rhythm early on against Fulham.

But Joshua Zirkzee’s debut goal proved to be the point of difference.

Brighton and United renew acquaintances just over three months after dropping the curtain on the previous campaign on the South Coast.

Erik ten Hag’s side claimed a 2-0 win thanks to goals from Diogo Dalot and Rasmus Hojlund, and the Dutchman will ask for more of the same this weekend.

Match Preview

At just 31 years old, Hurzeler is the youngest Premier League manager in history and will be looking to kick off the season with back-to-back wins.

Brighton’s fast start to the season comes after a hugely successful pre-season campaign where they won four out of four games with a combined score of 14-3.

They continued their exceptional form in the opening game against Everton and will fancy their chances of avenging last season’s defeat to United at the Amex.

Despite that defeat, the Seagulls have a strong record against United.

They’ve won four of their last five Premier League meetings with the Red Devils, so there’s enough reason for Hurzeler and his troops to be optimistic about their chances of success this weekend.

Following their impressive victory over Fulham, Ten Hag has expressed optimism about his team’s growing belief and confidence.

He emphasised the importance of continued improvement as the season unfolds if United want to achieve their ambitious targets.

United will be keen to drop the curtain on August with a win against Brighton as they prepare for a challenging month of September, including fixtures against Liverpool, Southampton, Crystal Palace, and Tottenham Hotspur.

Victory against the Seagulls will mark the first time that United have started a Premier League season with back-to-back wins since 2017/18.

However, success at the Amex is far from guaranteed as United have lost 43% of their last 14 league encounters with Brighton – their highest rate of defeat against any opponent in Premier League history.

Team news & potential line-ups

Brighton will be without Bart Verbruggen, Solly March, and Julio Enciso, but Evan Ferguson, Pervis Estupinan, and Tariq Lamptey are all back in training, although this weekend might come too soon for them to feature.

Hurzeler will also be able to call upon Yankuba Minteh, who was forced off with an injury scare during the emphatic win over Everton.

Meanwhile, Ten Hag has fewer injury concerns, with Victor Lindelof ruled out, although Jadon Sancho is also a doubt.

Rasmus Hojlund and Luke Shaw are not expected back until after the September international break, while Tyrell Malacia and Leny Yoro are looking at November returns.

Brighton & Hove Albion potential starting line-up:

(4-2-3-1): Jason Steele; Joel Veltman, Jan Paul van Hecke, Lewis Dunk, Jack Hinshelwood; James Milner, Mats Wieffer; Yankuba Minteh, Joao Pedro, Kaoru Mitoma; Danny Welbeck.

Manchester United potential starting line-up:

(4-2-3-1): Andre Onana; Noussair Mazraoui, Harry Maguire, Lisandro Martinez, Diogo Dalot; Casemiro, Kobbie Mainoo; Amad Diallo, Bruno Fernandes, Alejandro Garnacho; Joshua Zirkzee.