Manchester United vs Brighton match preview: Betting tips, predictions & odds
This weekend, the Premier League is back! The Erik ten Hag era at Manchester United begins Sunday afternoon (2:00pm UK) at Old Trafford, as the Red Devils host Brighton.
Manchester United vs Brighton: Betting Tips
Manchester United vs Brighton: Predictions
Man United vs Brighton : Predictions |
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| Bet | Prediction | Best odds |
| BTTS? | Yes | 4/5 with Sky Bet |
| Correct Score | Man Utd 2-2 Brighton | 14/1 with Sky Bet |
| First Goalscorer | Neal Maupay | 10/1 with Sky Bet |
The Man United rebuilding continues, now under new boss Erik ten Hag. In his first summer in charge at Old Trafford, the former Ajax boss has revamped the Red Devils’ back with a pair of talents with whom he’s familiar from his days in Holland: left back Tyrell Malacia, who was signed from Feyenoord for £12.6 million, and one of Ten Hag’s own center backs from Ajax, Lisandro Martínez, who was acquired for a fee of roughly £48 million. In addition to that defensive duo, United have brought in veteran midfield star Christian Eriksen, who played last season for Brentford, as a free agent.
On the other side of the ledger, a four familiar faces have left the club. Three of those players – Paul Pogba, Jesse Lingard and Nemanja Matić – left on free transfers, for Juventus, Nottingham Forest, and Jose Mourinho’s Roma. The fourth, Andreas Pereira, headed south to London, joining Fulham for a fee of nearly £8 million.
However, for all of that player movement, the object of everyone’s attention, s he so often is, almost regardless of circumstance, is a player who’s strangely neither in nor out: Cristiano Ronaldo.
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Ronaldo has made it clear to United that he’s got no interest in sticking around in the absence of Champions League football. If everyone at the club were to be completely honest, despite his excellent goal return (24 in 38 games in all competitions), ushering Cristiano’s outsized personality (and paycheck) toward the exit would hardly be a disaster. The problem that both sides have run into, of course, is that no Champions League club that can actually afford to pay Ronaldo has an interest in bringing him aboard. Thus, United are left in a stalemate with their highest profile player, literally on the eve of a new season.
Given his absence during the preseason and his most recent reiteration of his desirable leave, it’s unlikely Ronaldo sees the pitch in the opener against Brighton certainly not as a starter As a result look for United to start with a trio upfront of Marcus Rashford, Anthony Elanga and Jaden Sancho, with Bruno Fernandez behind them.
On the pitch, the Red Devils are desperate to improve upon their disappointing sixth-place finish in 2021-22 – which could easily have been seventh, had West Ham not been occupied with a Europa League run – which ended on a down note, with the side taking just four points from their last six Premier League games, and suffering a 4-0 thumping from Sunday’s opponents, Brighton & Hove Albion, on the penultimate matchday.
Brighton, meanwhile, will be coming in full confidence, not only because of the hammering they dished out to United at the end of last season (though that certainly won’t hurt), but also because the Seagulls have won their first away game in each of the last two Premier League seasons and because, during the ’21-’22 season, Brighton actually secured more points away from home (29) than they did at the Amex (21).
From a personnel perspective, manager Graham Potter has two significant departures to deal with. Earlier in the transfer window, central midfielder Yves Bissouma departed for Tottenham for a fee of £25 million (which could go as high as £35 million). More recently (like, as this was being written), it was confirmed that 24-year-old star left back Marc Cucurella is off to Chelsea, for a whopping £55 million (which could rise to £62 million). The pair’s absence will undoubtedly be felt.
As far in coming transfers, Brighton spent roughly £18 million this summer, on the acquisitions of: 18-year-old Paraguayan striker Julio Enciso from Paraguayan first division side Libertad; and 20-year-old Ivorian winger Simon Adingra from Danish first tier side Nordsjaelland. It must be said neither the neither of the two is likely feature prominently in this fixture.
The departure of Cucurella and Bissouma put pressure on Brighton’s defense and goalkeeper Roberto Sanchez, though Lewis Dunk, Tariq Lamptey Joel Veltman and Adam Webster still make up a formidable back line. In attack, unsurprisingly, eyes will be on Leandro Trossard and Neal Maupay.
Squawka Says: Manchester United 2-2 Brighton
For every question that Brighton suddenly have to answer, United have one of their own. Of course, it’s tough to imagine or another hammering at the hands of the Seagulls for United, but it’s also not clear that the Red Devils are definitely the better team here. Given the questions on defense for both sides, look for there to be plenty of chances and a fair few goals in this one.
Manchester United vs Brighton: Head to Head
7 May 2022- Brighton 4-0 Man Utd- Premier League
15 February 2022- Man Utd 2-0 Brighton- Premier League
4 April 2021- Man Utd 2-1 Brighton- Premier League
30 Sep 2020 – Brighton 0-3 Man Utd – League Cup
26 Sep 2020 – Brighton 2-3 Man Utd – Premier League
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