Manchester United will aim to continue the recent upturn in fortunes when they host Brighton & Hove Albion at Old Trafford on Sunday.
Gameweek 22 of the 2024/25 Premier League season continues on Sunday, which will witness four matches. The action on the day starts with three simultaneous games, including Manchester United vs Brighton & Hove Albion at Old Trafford.
Manchester United have turned their fortunes in the last three games, although they remain unconvincing in all aspects. The Red Devils held Liverpool to a 2-2 draw a few days ago before beating Arsenal in the FA Cup third round. The positive run continued with a come-from-behind 3-1 win over Southampton, although the performance left a lot to be desired.
On the other hand, Brighton & Hove Albion have blown hot and cold after a strong start to life under Fabian Hurzeler. The Seagulls are on a five-game unbeaten run in the Premier League, but they have won only one of their last nine top-flight matches. However, Hurzeler will hope the midweek victory over Ipswich Town will spark a winning run.
The reverse fixture saw Brighton & Hove Albion eke a 2-1 win over Manchester United, with Joao Pedro scoring an injury-time winner. The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at the encounter ahead of the latest meeting between the two sides.
Team News & Tactics
Manchester United
Probable Lineup (3-4-2-1): Onana; de Ligt, Maguire, Martinez; Mazraoui, Eriksen, Ugarte, Dalot; Diallo, Bruno Fernandes; Zirkzee
Brighton & Hove Albion
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Verbruggen; Veltman, van Hecke, Dunk, Estupinan; Baleba, O’Riley; Adingra, Rutter, Mitoma; Welbeck
Key Stats
- Brighton & Hove Albion are vying to earn a third consecutive Premier League away win vs Manchester United. The only club to have achieved that feat are Manchester City, on two separate occasions. The Seagulls have won five of their past six Premier League matches against the Red Devils and seven of 15 overall. Their win rate of 47% is the highest by any side against United in the competition’s history.
- Manchester United are aiming to pick successive Premier League wins for the first time since their final two games of the 2023/24 season, with the second of those coming vs Brighton.
- Brighton & Hove Albion Albion ended a winless run of eight Premier League games by beating Ipswich Town on Thursday (D6 L2). They are vying for successive top-flight away victories for the first time since winning their opening two fixtures on the road last term. The second of those wins came against Manchester United.
- Manchester United have failed to keep a clean sheet in their last 11 most recent matches in all competitions. The Red Devils have conceded ten Premier League goals from corners this season, a joint high with Wolverhampton Wanderers.
- Kaoru Mitoma has 14 Premier League goals and needs one more to pull clear of Shinji Okazaki as the top Japanese scorer in the competition’s history.
Player to Watch
Amad Diallo
Bruno Fernandes and Danny Welbeck were viable candidates for this section, but we have picked Amad Diallo as our Player to Watch for Sunday’s game after he scored a match-winning hat-trick against Southampton earlier this week.
The Ivory Coast international has scored six goals in his previous eight appearances in all competitions. In addition, he has been directly involved in 16 goals for Manchester United this season – second only to Bruno Fernandes (18). Ruben Amorim will install the in-form youngster as his go-to man and hope he delivers the goods again this weekend.
Prediction
Manchester United 2-1 Brighton & Hove Albion
Manchester United cannot afford a repeat act of the performance against Southampton if they want the recent unbeaten run to continue. The Red Devils were dreadful in the midweek fixture, and Amad Diallo’s incredible hat-trick meant they were lucky to escape with a victory.
On the other hand, Brighton & Hove Albion have a superb scoring record on the road, with no team stopping them from finding the back of the net. However, the Seagulls have been vulnerable at the back due to Fabian Hurzeler’s style of play, and that will give Manchester United several windows of opportunity.
