Manchester United will look to do their talking on the pitch against Brighton at Old Trafford in the Premier League on Saturday afternoon, after background controversy surrounding Antony and Jadon Sancho dominated headlines this week.
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Man United vs Brighton H2H Record
Both teams have met each other 31 times across all competitions in their history, with United still flush in terms of wins, despite 2022/23 seeing them lose both league H2Hs in a season for the first time ever.
- United wins: 19
- Draws: 6
- Brighton wins: 6
Their first meeting was all the way back in the 1908/09 season's FA Cup 1st round, when United won 1-0. There then followed a seven-decade hiatus before their second meeting, when United ran out 2-0 winners. Brighton's sole victory over United before their Premier League promotion of 2017 came in November 1982, but they've wrested back some ground in recent clashes.
Last time out…
Brighton took revenge on United for their FA Cup semi-final defeat to them last time out, winning 1-0 at the AMEX Stadium in May thanks to a dramatic last-minute penalty from now-Liverpool midfielder Alexis Mac Allister.
The result put Roberto De Zerbi's side in the driving seat in terms of qualifying for the UEFA Europa League, and subsequently dented United's confidence, as Erik ten Hag's team would go on to lose the FA Cup final to Manchester City.
Man United vs Brighton H2H: Potential MVP
Rasmus Hojlund could make a maiden start in United colours after his £72m move from Atalanta in the summer.
The young Dane was impressive in his small cameo before the international break, despite his side's 3-1 defeat at Arsenal. And with at least one of Marcus Rashford or Anthony Martial likely to be pushed out wide, the striker spot is surely open for Hojlund to make that much-awaited start.
Admittedly, his goal record at Atalanta was unimpressive, with just nine scored in Serie A last season. But he has six in just eight games for Denmark, and is still only 20 years of age.
Man United: Players in focus
Sofyan Amrabat – Moroccan maestro
Amrabat could make his first appearance in United colours, after impressing at the FIFA World Cup with Morocco and then reaching the Europa Conference League final with Fiorentina mere months later.
Bruno Fernandes – Captain Marvel
Fernandes will be looking to make his mark again, after recording one goal and three assists in Portugal's 9-0 thumping of Luxembourg on Monday.
Rasmus Hojlund – The Boy Wonder
As well as showing plenty of promise in Serie A, Hojlund is also a supreme physical specimen at 6'3 tall, and could cause Brighton's defenders many problems with his aerial presence.
Brighton: Players in focus
Bart Verbruggen – Here to stay?
Brighton are yet to keep a clean sheet this campaign, and new signing Verbruggen will want to show why he has recently been given the gloves ahead of Jason Steele.
Ansu Fati – The Barcelona prodigy
It was a shock to some that the Seagulls managed to pull this deal off, and Fati could dazzle in his first appearance for his new side at the Theatre of Dreams.
Evan Ferguson – The hat-trick hero
Ferguson picked up an injury that ruled him out of international duty, but the Irishman could be fit to play after scoring a hat-trick against Newcastle United last weekend.
Final prediction
United have not been convincing so far this season, with home wins only narrowly coming against Wolves and Nottingham Forest. Meanwhile, Brighton have started the new term off strongly, with three wins from four in the Premier League.
On paper, Brighton possess the momentum needed to emulate the performance that saw them beat the Red Devils 2-1 at Old Trafford just over a year ago, in what was Ten Hag's nightmare touchline debut as United boss.
For this Man United vs Brighton H2H, we're saying a 2-2 draw with Hojlund to score on his home debut.
