Manchester United’s season kickstarts at Old Trafford on Sunday, and yet again begins with a new manager taking his place in the dugout. Erik ten Hag, fresh off another Eredivisie title is looking to bring much needed silverware to Old Trafford and unite a squad who have seemed so distant from the fans in recent times. The initial signs in Pre-season have been promising with just one defeat and 14 goals scored in 6 games but a return to Premier League football poses a whole different challenge.
The Seagulls travel to Manchester optimistic following their 4-0 victory over United in the penultimate game of the season. Unlike United’s merry go round of recent times, Brighton have stayed faithful with the excellent Graham Potter which has paid dividends in the form of a record breaking 9th place finish last season. The loss of Bissouma will be recognised throughout the season as the Malian sealed a transfer to Spurs this summer and I think Brighton will struggle to replicate that 9th place again. However, their squad still has plenty of quality and could pose a threat to the top half again this season.
Seeking revenge for their 4-0 defeat last year, expect Old Trafford to be up for this game from the start. With ten Hag debuting on Sky Sports, and Brighton coming off a 5-1 victory in their final preseason outing, this is a superb game for opening weekend viewing, and therefore a bet builder.
Manchester United v Brighton Bet Builder Tips
Man United to Win
United fans and players will be all too familiar with the comings and goings at the Theatre of Dreams over the past few years. However, Dutch manager Erik ten Hag has stamped his authority, the first manager to do so in a while, clearing out the dead wood from the squad while bringing in his desired players to an extent. The Frenkie de Jong saga has dominated the headlines all summer but Tyrell Malacia, Lisandro Martinez and Christian Eriksen are all welcome additions who benefit the squad with Malacia in line for a debut this weekend.
The Red Devils will look to improve on their home record from last year where they won 10 of 19 games with the crowd sounding their displeasure. The atmosphere seems brighter this season with United dominating possession in preseason with 59% on average, and an average of 13 shots per game. The returning Anthony Martial has been firing but will miss this game through injury, meaning Marcus Rashford leads the line, using his pace to stretch the aging Brighton back line. A back line, already weakened through the imminent loss of Marc Cucurella to Chelsea.
Brighton, despite all their positives, are in for a tough time at Old Trafford. Ten Hag’s side play disciplined, intricate possession football and will effectively look to better Brighton at their own game. Both centre backs, Dunk and Webster, are good on the ball but will struggle to cope with Rashford, Sancho and Elanga’s pace, while in midfield an injured Mac Allister will struggle to provide as much service as usual. Brighton have rarely added to their points at Old Trafford, losing on all 8 trips since 1992 and I can see a similar result today, much to the disappointment of the optimistic travelling fans.
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Prediction: Manchester United to Win
Both Teams to Score
Despite Brighton’s poor track record at Old Trafford, their troubles notoriously come defensively at the Theatre of Dreams, not going forward. The Seagulls are not short of creative players with Belgian Leandro Trossard the pick of a strong bunch. In fact, Brighton’s poor away record here hides their strong attacking record, scoring in 3 of their last 4 trips.
For the home side, there is little question about their depth in attacking talent with firepower all over the front 4. Big money transfers such as Martial, Fernandes and the infamous Cristiano Ronaldo are supported by academy talents such as Marcus Rashford. With the latter set to lead the line, he will allow Jadon Sancho space to run at back up left back Solly March, as Rashford has a tendency to play as a more left sided striker.
Taking confidence from that 4-0 game last year I don’t think Brighton and Potter will stray away from their typical, positive style of play and will play in an expansive shape. The Red Devils have the quality going forward to exploit this while also lacking the quality and back 4 cohesion to keep the Seagulls out.
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Prediction: Both Teams to Score
Brighton to Receive the Most Cards
Moving away from the goals market, this should be a rather feisty encounter featuring two of the top 6 most carded sides in last years league. Having been the 18th most carded side the season before in a more disappointing season, Graham Potter’s Brighton held the ball for longer in possession and were a far more tactical outfit. Coming from experience, Brighton will only build on this platform and become a more deceitful and tactical side as they look to see out games.
This game presents a different avenue for cards for the South Coast side who average 2.26 per away game last season. Against a ten Hag side who press heavily and are well drilled in fitness, Brighton could be found chasing shadows, particularly with a makeshift midfield. In trips to the big 6 last year, Brighton were shown 14 cards.
The odds are tight for which side will be carded the most, but I think this is down to Rangnick’s United racking up a fair few cards last year. United have a few player alterations in comparison to that side but most importantly ten Hag’s sides play football which doesn’t tend to lead to cards. Instead of being forced to rely on ‘taking yellow’ their fitness factor shows through. In preseason United were showed half the yellow cards that their opponents received while ten Hag’s Ajax averaged less than a yellow per game last year.
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Prediction: Brighton to Receive the Most Cards
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Manchester United v Brighton Predicted Line-ups
Manchester United predicted XI (4-2-3-1) : De Gea; Dalot, Maguire, L Martinez, Malacia; Fred, McTominay; Sancho, Fernandes, Elanga; Rashford
Brighton predicted XI (3-4-3) : Sanchez; Veltman, Dunk, Webster; Lamptey, Mwepu, Gross, March; MacAllister, Welbeck, Trossard
* All odds displayed correct at the time of publishing *
How to watch Man United v Brighton in the Premier League
📅 When is Man United v Brighton? / Sunday, 7th August 2022, 14:00
🏟 Where is Man United v Brighton? / Old Trafford (Manchester)
📺 What TV channel is Man United v Brighton? / Sky Sports Main Event and Premier League 🟨 …And who is the referee for Man United v Brighton? / Paul Tierney 🏴
