Manchester United will play their last game before the upcoming international break on Sunday afternoon, as the Red Devils host Brighton & Hove Albion at Old Trafford.
With the upcoming time off in mind, this fixture could be the last chance for United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer to prove he’s worthy of the job. If he fails to win once again, the club might have no other choice than to let him go and find a replacement during the break.
The Red Devils were able to put in one of their best performances of the season during the week, even if it was against weaker opposition.
Hosting Partizan Belgrade in the Europa League, United named a strong starting XI to give themselves the best chance of clinching their spot in the Round of 32.
Fans were worried they were about to see more of the same when Marcus Rashford missed a few chances early on, but they eventually did get to see a goal when Mason Greenwood confidently slotted home from close range in the 22nd minute.
The contest was put to bed shortly after the halftime break, as Ashley Young picked out Rashford in the penalty area for an easy tap in.
Partizan might not be the toughest team to play against, but United have struggled in similar matchups earlier this season, so seeing them create chances and score goals was a nice change of pace.
Meanwhile, Brighton have been quietly superb this season and currently sit in 8th place in the Premier League. They’ve become much improved going forward under new boss Graham Potter, and have actually scored more goals than Man United so far this year.
They picked up another win last weekend, beating Norwich City 2-0 at the AMEX Stadium.
It was a cagey first half, with the home side creating a few half chances and the Canaries looking to hit on the counter in response.
The game was all but over with five minutes to go, with Trossard turning from scorer to provider. His free-kick floated into the area towards substitute Shane Duffy, who managed to get a foot on the ball and redirect it into the back of the net.
Brighton would go on to clinch all three points with relative ease, and will now look to continue their good form on Sunday.
Last time out
United were still enjoying the honeymoon period under then-interim boss Solskjaer when these two sides faced off last January, and they were able to pick up a seventh straight win in all competitions as a result.
The Red Devils hadn’t started as electric as past games, with Brighton doing well to frustrate them early on.
However, a defensive error would cost them, as Gaetan Bong took out Paul Pogba in the area. The referee pointed to the spot, and the Frenchman converted the resulting penalty.
The lead was doubled fifteen minutes later when Rashford picked up the ball on the wing, dribbled past his defender, and smashed a shot that curled into the top corner.
Brighton put up a good fight on the afternoon and even grabbed a goal back through Pascal Gross, who got on the end of a brilliant cross from Davy Propper.
It would not be enough, however, as United held on to secure the three points and continue their record-breaking winning streak.
Team news
United were able to beat over Partizan during the week, but it may have cost them two key players in the process.
Both Harry Maguire and Scott McTominay picked up knocks during the contest, with the latter’s deemed to be more serious at the moment. Both are now potential doubts for the weekend.
Victor Lindelöf missed the Europa League game with a back injury of his own, and there’s only a slim chance he’ll feature versus Brighton.
Luke Shaw, Phil Jones, and Axel Tuanzebe are unlikely to be available for selection, with Paul Pogba, Timothy Fosu-Mensah, and Eric Bailly also out for the long-term.
For Brighton, they’ll be without Adam Webster, who was forced off with an ankle injury against Norwich. He joined Bernardo and Jose Izquierdo on the treatment table, with the trio all out for Sunday’s game.
Predicted lineups
Manchester United: De Gea, Wan-Bissaka, Maguire, Rojo, Williams, Fred, Andreas, Lingard, James, Martial, Rashford
Brighton & Hove Albion: Ryan, Montoya, Duffy, Dunk, Burn, Gross, Propper, Stephens, Alzate, Maupay, Connolly
What to watch for
A potentially open contest?
In years past, fans would have fully known what to expect from a game like this. Brighton would park the bus as soon as the match kicked off, giving United the ball and looking to hit on the counter. The Red Devils would dominate possession, and the onus would be on them to create and score.
However, there’s a big chance we see the script flipped on Sunday.
Under Potter, Brighton have started to play some really beautiful football. They move the ball around well and don’t just lump it up the field like in years past. The Seagulls had 58% of possession against Norwich, and 56% the week prior versus Everton.
Meanwhile, United now prefer to play on the counter-attack, with their best games coming when they didn’t have much of the ball.
They put on a clinic versus Chelsea in the opening game of the season, and the Red Devils almost shocked Liverpool in a similar fashion, and still ended up taking a surprising point on the night. They can’t break down teams with the ball, so they’re better off just not trying.
Fans could see Brighton control the pace and tempo of the game at Old Trafford, with United sitting back and absorbing pressure.