Brighton & Hove Albion will host Manchester United at the Amex Stadium this Saturday, with both teams aiming to build on their opening-weekend wins in the Premier League.
Just three months after their last encounter on the South Coast, where Manchester United secured a 2-0 victory thanks to goals from Diogo Dalot and Rasmus Hojlund, the two teams are set to clash again.
Many expected Brighton to need time to adjust under their new head coach, Fabian Hurzeler, but they made a statement in their first match of the 2024-25 season, dominating a 10-man Everton side with a 3-0 victory.
Kaoru Mitoma opened the scoring in the first half, followed by a brilliant goal from Danny Welbeck just before the hour mark. Substitute Simon Adingra added a third late on, and it could have been 4-0 if Yasin Ayari hadn’t been just a yard offside before tapping in.
At just 31 years old, Hurzeler is the youngest manager in Premier League history. While thrilled with his successful debut, the German coach remains humble, seeking advice from veteran players like 38-year-old James Milner, who is now in his record 23rd Premier League season.
Brighton’s strong start follows a flawless pre-season, where they won all four of their matches, outscoring their opponents 14-3, including a 4-0 thrashing of La Liga’s Villarreal at the Amex Stadium.
Although Brighton lost to Manchester United at home last season, they have won four of their last five Premier League meetings against the Red Devils, including a 4-0 victory in May 2022 and a 3-1 win at Old Trafford in September last year. Hurzeler and his team have good reason to be optimistic heading into Saturday’s match.
Manchester United, meanwhile, are coming off a narrow 1-0 win over Fulham in their season opener. After a slow start, the Red Devils found their rhythm and secured the win three minutes from time, thanks to substitute Joshua Zirkzee’s late goal.
Manager Erik ten Hag believes that the win against Fulham will boost his team’s confidence, but he has urged his players to keep improving if they want to achieve their goals this season.
Before a challenging September schedule that includes matches against Liverpool, Southampton, Crystal Palace, and Tottenham Hotspur, Manchester United will be looking to finish August on a high note with a win at Brighton. However, success at the Amex Stadium isn’t guaranteed; the Red Devils have lost 43% of their previous 14 Premier League games against Brighton, their highest loss rate against any opponent in the league.
INJURIES & SUSPENSIONS
Brighton will be without Solly March and Julio Enciso, both sidelined with knee injuries, as well as Bart Verbruggen and Igor Julio, who are also out due to unspecified issues. However, Evan Ferguson (foot), Pervis Estupinan (ankle), and Tariq Lamptey (unspecified) have all returned to training and will be assessed before the match.
Head coach Fabian Hurzeler has confirmed that Yankuba Minteh is available for selection after he was substituted just before halftime in his debut against Everton due to concussion protocols. If needed, Simon Adingra is ready to step in on the right wing.
Brighton's record £40 million signing, Georginio Rutter, who joined from Leeds on Tuesday, is in line to make his debut, but he will likely start on the bench, with Joao Pedro supporting former Manchester United striker Danny Welbeck in attack. Meanwhile, Valentin Barco is close to securing a loan move to Sevilla.
For Manchester United, Luke Shaw (calf), Tyrell Malacia (knee), Leny Yoro (foot), and Rasmus Hojlund (hamstring) are all still out, along with Victor Lindelof, who is recovering from a toe injury.
Manager Erik ten Hag might stick with the same back four that kept a clean sheet against Fulham—Noussair Mazraoui, Harry Maguire, Lisandro Martinez, and Diogo Dalot although new signing Matthijs de Ligt could make his full debut at centre-back, possibly replacing Maguire.
Joshua Zirkzee, who scored his first goal for Manchester United as a substitute in their last match, is likely to be rewarded with a start, allowing Bruno Fernandes to drop back into his preferred number 10 role, with Mason Mount potentially moving to the bench. Alejandro Garnacho might also be recalled to start on the wing, potentially taking the place of either Amad Diallo or Marcus Rashford.
POSSIBLE LINE-UPS
Brighton & Hove Albion possible starting lineup:
Steele; Veltman, Van Hecke, Dunk, Hinshelwood; Milner, Wieffer; Minteh, Pedro, Mitoma; Welbeck
Manchester United possible starting lineup:
Onana; Mazraoui, Maguire, Martinez, Dalot; Casemiro, Mainoo; Amad, Fernandes, Garnacho; Zirkzee
EXPERT PREDICTIONS
Brighton 1-1 Manchester United
While Brighton may present more of a challenge for Manchester United than Fulham did, the Red Devils are likely to offer a tougher test than Everton did for Hurzeler's side. Both teams have plenty of firepower in attack, so we could be in for an exciting match with a likely draw at the Amex Stadium.
