A place in the FA Cup final will be on the line when Brighton & Hove Albion and Manchester United clash at Wembley on Sunday.
The FA Cup is nearly at its climax for the 2022/23 season, with just two games remaining to crown the new winner. Manchester City and Sheffield United faced off in the first semi-final on Saturday. And the other fixture will feature Brighton & Hove and Manchester United on Sunday evening.
Brighton & Hove Albion have cruised through the FA Cup thus far, scoring five goals twice while beating Liverpool in the fourth round. On the other hand, Manchester United reached the semi-finals by clinching four back-to-back 3-1 wins, with Everton, Reading, West Ham United, and Fulham falling prey at their hands.
But the two teams have blown hot and cold, as far as their recent form is concerned. Brighton & Hove Albion last won back-to-back matches over a month ago. On the other hand, Manchester United ended a four-game unbeaten run by losing 3-0 to Sevilla on Thursday to crash out of the UEFA Europa League.
Brighton and Manchester United have already clashed once this season, with the Seagulls beating the Red Devils 2-1 at Old Trafford in August. The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at the encounter ahead of the latest meeting between the two sides.
Team News & Tactics
Brighton & Hove Albion
Our work for Wembley is DONE! 👊 pic.twitter.com/2zC8OaoYdf
— Brighton & Hove Albion (@OfficialBHAFC) April 22, 2023
Roberto De Zerbi has new injury concerns hampering his preparations ahead of the trip to Wembley. Against Manchester United on Sunday, the Brighton & Hove Albion manager might be bereft of the services of as many as six first-team players.
Joel Veltman (thigh) and Evan Ferguson (ankle) are the latest absentees after the duo picked up their respective injuries against Chelsea last weekend. They have joined Tariq Lamptey (knee), Adam Lallana (hamstring), and Jeremy Sarmiento (ankle) on the sidelines.
Meanwhile, De Zerbi is sweating over the fitness of Jason Steele, who continues to recover from a minor injury. So Robert Sanchez should start between the sticks again, with Brighton lining up in a 4-2-3-1 formation in front of him.
Veltman and Lamptey’s absence means De Zerbi will have to be creative with his right-back choice. And the versatile Pascal Gross will start as a makeshift right-back. The German utility man will join Adam Webster, Lewis Dunk, and Pervis Estupinan in the backline.
Using Gross as a right-back means Alexis Mac Allister will likely drop into the double pivot. The Argentine international will join Moises Caicedo in the middle of the park. And despite seeing a change in his role, Mac Allister will look to drive the team forward from the centre of the pitch.
Julio Enciso will benefit from Mac Allister dropping into the double pivot. The young attacker will start behind central striker Danny Welbeck, who should replace Ferguson. Enciso and Welbeck will often form a twin-pronged partnership around the box, with Kaoru Mitoma and Solly March being the two wide attackers.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Sanchez; Gross, Webster, Dunk, Estupinan; Caicedo, Mac Allister; March, Enciso, Mitoma; Welbeck
Manchester United
Like his counterpart in the Brighton & Hove Albion dugout, Erik ten Hag has new roster issues to deal with ahead of the trip to Wembley. The Manchester United manager might be without as many as nine first-team players.
Harry Maguire is the latest absentee due to a suspension after going into the book against Fulham in the quarter-finals. In addition, ten Hag is sweating over the fitness of Scott McTominay and Anthony Martial. With the Dutchman not providing a definitive update on the duo during his pre-match press conference, neither will start on Sunday.
Meanwhile, Tom Heaton (ankle), Lisandro Martinez (foot), Raphael Varane (ankle), Phil Jones (knee), Donny van de Beek (knee), and Alejandro Garnacho (ankle) remain on the sidelines. And only Garnacho will likely feature again for Manchester United this season.
🗣️ "We know we didn't match the standards yesterday, the expectation on the team, on the player and on the manager of Man United is higher."
Erik ten Hag on picking up the confidence of his players for the FA Cup semi-final pic.twitter.com/ECwOivw530
— Football Daily (@footballdaily) April 21, 2023
David de Gea will feature between the stick on Sunday despite his howlers against Sevilla. And Manchester United will line up in a 4-2-3-1 formation in front of him. Meanwhile, Maguire’s absence means Luke Shaw will start as a centre-back on Sunday.
The Englishman did not look fully fit on Thursday but will have to brave his issues to help his team this weekend. Shaw will pair up with Victor Lindelof in the central defensive partnership. And Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Diogo Dalot should continue as the full-backs.
Casemiro and Christian Eriksen will pair up in the double pivot again. The duo will aim to provide better cover to the defensive unit after going missing against Sevilla. Meanwhile, Marcel Sabitzer will drop to the bench.
That is because Bruno Fernandes will return after being unavailable on Thursday due to a suspension. The Portuguese international will look to pull the strings in the final third, with Antony and Marcus Rashford being the two wide men. Finally, Wout Weghorst should start in place of Martial as the central striker.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): de Gea; Wan-Bissaka, Lindelof, Shaw, Dalot; Casemiro, Eriksen; Antony, Bruno Fernandes, Rashford; Weghorst
Key Stats
- Manchester United have won all five FA Cup ties against Brighton & Hove Albion, most recently in the 2017/18 quarter-final. But the Seagulls have defeated the Red Devils in their last two meetings, as many as they had in their previous 17 (D2 L12).
- Brighton & Hove Albion have never won a competitive match at Wembley Stadium, drawing once and losing four of their five visits. This run started against Manchester United in the 1983 FA Cup final, drawing 2-2 and then losing 4-0 in a replay.
- All four of Manchester United’s FA Cup games this season have been 3-1 wins. Their last 11 goals in the competition have all come in the second half of games. The last team to reach the FA Cup final while scoring at least three goals in every game were Manchester City in 1925/26.
- Kaoru Mitoma has either scored (2) or assisted (2) a goal in all four of his FA Cup games for Brighton. The last player to be involved in a goal in each round of the competition from the third round to the semi-final was Romelu Lukaku in 2017/18.
- Marcus Rashford has scored twice at Wembley for Manchester United, doing so against Tottenham in the 2018/19 Premier League and against Newcastle United in this season’s EFL Cup final. He could become the fourth Manchester United player to score at Wembley in three different competitions after Mark Hughes, Wayne Rooney and Jesse Lingard.
Player to Watch
Marcus Rashford
Manchester United have struggled to perform consistently in the last six weeks. And that has coincided with Marcus Rashford either not being at his best or being unavailable. But with the Englishman regaining fitness, the Red Devils will fancy their chances this weekend.
Bruno Fernandes also revels with Rashford alongside him in the final third. And the 25-year-old will be Manchester United’s best bet to beat Brighton & Hove Albion and reach the FA Cup final. That is why Rashford is the Player to Watch in our preview.
Prediction
Brighton & Hove Albion 1-2 Manchester United
Brighton & Hove Albion do not have an impressive record at Wembley. But Roberto De Zerbi has forged a team that is headstrong and not afraid of the size of the opponent. So the Seagulls will take the game to Manchester United, looking to pounce on a frail defence.
But the Red Devils will line up with their strongest midfield and attack combination apart from Anthony Martial. And Marcus Rashford’s return will give Manchester United a shot in the arm. Expect a closely-contested affair that will go deep into regulation time. But Manchester United’s penchant to score late goals should get them a 2-1 win.