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Manchester United vs. Brighton & Hove Albion
In addition to the Bundesliga, the Premier League also kicks off the new 2022/23 season this weekend and for the Red Devils from Manchester, the home game against Brighton & Hove Albion is on the agenda for the opener. Kick-off is at Old Trafford on Sunday afternoon at 15:00.
For United’s new coach Erik ten Haag, it will be the first competitive game in his new home. The Dutchman was signed from Ajax Amsterdam in the summer and is expected to help the run-down club finally regain its former strength. However, the preparation did not go optimally in this respect and we can be extremely curious to see in which league region Manchester United will settle this season.
With Brighton & Hove, an opponent awaits on matchday 1 with whom United may still have a score to settle after last season’s second leg. Why this is the case and what predictions we would make for this match, you can find out now in our Man United vs Brighton tip.
Man United -Brighton info
– Date & Time: 07.08.2022, 15:00 Uhr
– Venue: Manchester, Old Trafford
– Competition: Premier League, Matchday 1
– TV coverage: Sky Sport
Man United Form & Balance Check
The Red Devils have had a season of ups and downs, as so often in recent years. After a very promising start to the season and 13 out of 15 points from the first five games, the big crash followed from matchday 6. From the next eight games, United only managed to pick up a shocking five points out of a possible 24. After the 4-1 defeat at Watford FC, the club had had enough and sacked coach Solskjaer. Under the new coach Ralf Rangnick, things initially went much better with only one defeat from the next 15 games, but he was ultimately unable to move the team forward decisively.
United with disastrous final spurt
In the final spurt of the season, Jadon Sancho & Co. have got virtually nothing going. From the last eleven games, the English record champions have only picked up eleven points, the last six (!) away games were all lost. What was needed was a complete new start and this is now to happen under Ajax’s successful coach Erik ten Haag.
With Lisandro Martínez, the Dutchman has brought along a familiar player from his old employer. He also knows newcomer Tyrell Malacia (PSV Eindhoven) very well from the direct duels with Ajax. In addition, Christian Eriksen, who is free on a transfer, could be convinced of a move to Manchester. On the other side, Paul Pogba, Edinson Cavani, Jesse Lingard and Nemanja Matic, among others, have left the club. What will happen to Cristiano Ronaldo is unclear at this stage. The Portuguese apparently wants to leave, but doesn’t seem to find the right club for himself.
Man United facts & analysis
– Finished 6th last season with 58 points.
– Paid a transfer fee for only 2 new arrivals so far.
– Lost last encounter with Brighton 0:4
Brighton Form & Balance Check
Unlike their upcoming opponents, the visitors from Brighton have had a satisfying season. In total, the club from the south has only taken seven points less than United, who of course have quite different financial resources. Similar to the Red Devils, Brighton have also gone through various phases during the season. A strong start to the season (four wins from five games) was followed by a run of eleven games without a win. However, only three games were lost during this period, and the points were shared eight times.
Seagulls with constant ups and downs
A good run followed with seven games without defeat and 13 points out of a possible 21 before coach Graham Potter’s side lost six games in a row, scoring just one goal. The subsequent final spurt was again extremely successful with only one defeat from the last nine games (0:3 at Man City) and 17 points out of a possible 27.
Not even United had such extreme ups and downs. If Brighton had at least scored a little better in the extremely bad phases, they might even have been in the Europa League. In the new year, however, the Seagulls have to cope with a few painful departures. Marc Cucurella left the club for Chelsea for a hefty € 65.3 million, Yves Bissouma joined Tottenham Hotspur for € 29.2 million. The only permanent additions so far, Simon Adingra (20, Nordsjaelland) and 18-year-old Julio Enciso (Libertad), on the other hand, ‘only’ cost around €20 million.
Brighton facts & analysis
– Finished 9th last season with 51 points.
– 3 times not lost at least 5 games in a row.
– Raised about €94m so far this summer and spent only about €20m
Predicted line-up – last update on 6 August 2022
We can be very curious about the line-up of the Red Devils. We expect the newcomers Malacia and Martinez in the starting eleven. For Christian Eriksen only the bench could remain for the time being. In the forward line, Rashford could play for Ronaldo, as ten Haag did not agree at all with the superstar’s flight from the stadium in the recent test match. Sancho and Elanga are likely to play on the flanks.
The visitors will surely be looking for a replacement for the departed left-back Cucurella, as no one else from the current squad is at home in that position. Enock Mwepu could play in place of Bissouma. In attack, both Danny Welbeck and Neal Maupay could start. New signing Enciso would also be an option.
Man United -Brighton direct comparison & stats
The direct comparison is clearly in favour of the Red Devils with 14 wins to four and two draws. However, after seven consecutive United wins, Brighton won last season’s second leg 4-0 at their own stadium. It was their first success since a 3-2 win in August 2018.
– The most common result between Manchester United and Chelsea FC is 1-1, with 13 games ending that way.
– Chelsea FC’s last away win at Manchester United was in 2013.
– The comparisons between the two clubs last season: 0-0 (home to Manchester United) and 0-0 (home to Chelsea FC).
– A look at Manchester United: Cristiano Ronaldo is the top scorer with 16 goals. Mason Mount scored 10 times for Chelsea FC.
