Brighton & Hove Albion and Manchester United will aim to build on their opening weekend wins when they clash at the Amex Stadium on Saturday.
The 2024/25 Premier League season continues on Saturday with Gameweek 2, with the latest round of fixtures kicking off on Saturday. Manchester United will herald the curtain raiser of the second successive matchday when they lock horns with Brighton & Hove Albion at the Amex Stadium.
Brighton & Hove Albion have been impressive in their early days under Fabian Hurzeler, who has replaced Roberto De Zerbi. The Seagulls were unbeaten in their pre-season campaign, winning all five games before coming hot out of the gates in the 2024/25 Premier League campaign, beating Everton 3-0 to jump to the top of the Premier League table.
Like Brighton & Hove Albion, Manchester United started the 2024/25 Premier League season with a victory, beating Fulham 1-0 at Old Trafford last Friday. The Red Devils were not convincing enough in their pre-season campaign but showed some promising signs in the Community Shield Tie with Manchester City before losing the game on penalties. Erik ten Hag will hope his men can turn their fortunes around.
Manchester United have struggled in their recent clashes with Brighton & Hove Albion but won the corresponding fixture last season 2-0, with Diogo Dalot and Rasmus Hojlund finding the back of the net. 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
Fabian Hurzeler has greeted positive updates on the team news front ahead of his side’s latest game. Against Manchester United on Saturday, the Brighton & Hove Albion manager might be bereft of the services of only four first-team players.
Pervis Estupinan (ankle), Tariq Lamptey (unspecified), Brajan Gruda (match fitness), Julio Enciso (knee), and Evan Ferguson (foot) are closing in on returning to action, while Yankuba Minteh is fit and available after recovering from a head injury. So, Solly March, Julio Enciso (both knee), and Igor Julio are the only players on the sidelines for the home side.
Jason Steele should take his spot between the sticks, with Brighton & Hove Albion lining up in a 4-2-3-1 formation in front of him against Manchester United. The backline should feature Joel Veltman, Jan Paul van Hecke, Lewis Dunk, and Jack Hinshelwood.
As for the midfield unit, James Milner should pair up with Mats Wieffer in the double pivot in the middle of the park. Joao Pedro should reprise the no. 10 role, with Danny Welbeck leading the line for Brighton against his former club, while Yankuba Minteh and Kaoru Mitoma should be the two wide attackers.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Steele; Veltman, Van Hecke, Dunk, Hinshelwood; Milner, Wieffer; Minteh, Pedro, Mitoma; Welbeck
Manchester United
Unlike his counterpart in the Brighton & Hove Albion dugout, Erik ten Hag has a new issue to deal with ahead of the trip to the Amex Stadium. The Manchester United manager will be without five first-team players.
Victor Lindelof is the latest absentee, with the Swede recovering from an injury that will keep him unavailable for nearly a month. Lindelof has joined Leny Yoro (foot), Tyrell Malacia (knee), Luke Shaw (calf), and Rasmus Hojlund (hamstring) on the sidelines. However, Jadon Sancho is available after missing last week’s game against Fulham due to an ear infection.
Andre Onana is an automatic pick between the sticks, with Manchester United lining up in a 4-2-3-1 formation in front of him against Brighton & Hove Albion. The backline should feature Noussair Mazraoui, Harry Maguire, Lisandro Martinez, and Diogo Dalot.
As for the midfield unit, there is no looking past Casemiro and Kobbie Mainoo in the double pivot. Bruno Fernandes will return to his preferred no. 10 role, with Marcus Rashford and Amad Diallo being the two wide attackers. Finally, Joshua Zirkzee will make his first start for Manchester United and lead the line for the away side.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Onana; Mazraoui, Maguire, Martinez, Dalot; Casemiro, Mainoo; Amad, Bruno Fernandes, Rashford; Zirkzee
Key Stats
- Brighton & Hove Albion have won four of their last five Premier League games against Manchester United, although they lost the most recent meeting 2-0 at home on the final day of 2023/24. The Red Devils have lost 43% of their Premier League meetings with Brighton (6/14), their highest loss rate against a single opponent in the competition’s history.
- Brighton & Hove Albion have lost four of their last five Premier League home games (W1), more than they had in their previous 25 at the Amex Stadium (W14 D8 L3).
- After beating Fulham 1-0 in their opening match, Manchester United are looking to win both of their first two games in a Premier League campaign for the first time since 2017/18.
- Danny Welbeck scored and assisted against Everton on Gameweek 1, netting in a 15th consecutive Premier League campaign (16th overall). He has also found the back of the net four times in the Premier League against Manchester United, making him the highest-scoring former player against the Red Devils in the Premier League.
- Bruno Fernandes has either scored (4) or assisted (2) six of Manchester United’s last 13 Premier League goals against Brighton & Hove Albion. The Portuguese international only has more goals and assists combined against Everton, Leeds United (8 each) and Aston Villa (7) in the competition than he does against Brighton (6).
Player to Watch
Joshua Zirkzee
Zirkzee could not have asked for a better Manchester United bow in the Premier League. With the Red Devils failing to get past Bernd Leno despite creating some promising chances, they needed the Dutchman to deliver the goods, and he did so by scoring the match-winning strike.
Against Fulham on Gameweek 1, Zirkzee became the second player to come off the bench and score the winning goal on his Premier League debut for Manchester United after Federico Macheda in April 2009. The last player to score on his first two league appearances for the Red Devils was Antony in October 2022. He will look to continue from where he left off last week.
Prediction
Brighton & Hove Albion 2-1 Manchester United
Brighton & Hove Albion and Manchester United have produced one of the most fascinating Premier League rivalries in the last few years. The Red Devils do not have a higher loss rate against any other opponent in the competition, making Brighton their bunnies.
However, the Seagulls do not have an impressive recent record at home in Premier League ties, giving Manchester United hope of clinching a second successive win at the Amex Stadium. But Fabian Hurzeler has taken no time to get his ideas across, with Brighton playing an eye-catching brand of football.
That should catch Manchester United off-guard, although the away side will produce a dogged defensive performance. Joshua Zirkzee should also score for a second successive Premier League game. However, Brighton might be too strong for Manchester United this weekend, with The Hard Tackle predicting a 2-1 win for the home team.
