FULL TIME
2-1
MATCH PREVIEW & MORE INFO
Brighton: possible starting lineup: Steele; Veltman, Van Hecke, Dunk, Hinshelwood; Milner, Wieffer; Minteh, Pedro, Mitoma; Welbeck
Man United: possible starting lineup: Onana; Mazraoui, Maguire, Martinez, Dalot; Casemiro, Mainoo; Amad, Fernandes, Garnacho; Zirkzee
Match Preview
Brighton & Hove Albion will host Manchester United at the Amex Stadium on Saturday lunchtime, with both teams aiming to continue their strong starts to the Premier League season. The two sides last met on the South Coast in the final match of the previous campaign, where Manchester United secured a 2-0 victory with goals from Diogo Dalot and Rasmus Højlund.
Brighton, under the guidance of new head coach Fabian Hurzeler, kicked off their 2024-25 campaign with a commanding 3-0 victory over Everton, despite the Toffees being reduced to 10 men. Kaoru Mitoma, Danny Welbeck, and substitute Simon Adingra found the back of the net, and Brighton could have added a fourth if not for an offside call on Yasin Ayari. Hurzeler, the youngest manager in Premier League history at just 31, was pleased with the strong start but remains focused on staying grounded as he navigates his first season in charge.
The Seagulls' opening win followed an impressive pre-season, where they won all four of their matches with an aggregate score of 14-3. Despite their loss to Manchester United at home last season, Brighton has a positive recent record against the Red Devils, winning four out of their last five Premier League encounters, including notable victories at the Amex in May 2022 and at Old Trafford in September last year.
Manchester United, meanwhile, began their season with a narrow 1-0 win over Fulham, thanks to a late goal from summer signing Joshua Zirkzee. Erik ten Hag's side started slowly but grew into the match, with Zirkzee's strike three minutes from time sealing the three points. Ten Hag believes the victory will boost his team's confidence and is urging his players to continue improving as the season progresses.
The Red Devils are seeking to win their first two Premier League games of a season for the first time since 2017-18, but Brighton has historically posed a challenge, with United losing 43% of their previous 14 Premier League matches against the Seagulls— their highest loss rate against any opponent in the league.
Brighton will be without Solly March and Julio Enciso, both sidelined with knee injuries, while Bart Verbruggen and Igor Julio are also out with unspecified issues. However, Evan Ferguson, Pervis Estupiñán, and Tariq Lamptey have all trained and will be assessed ahead of the match. Yankuba Minteh is available for selection after leaving the field due to concussion protocols in the win over Everton. New signing Georginio Rutter could make his debut, though he is expected to start on the bench.
For Manchester United, Luke Shaw, Tyrell Malacia, Leny Yoro, Rasmus Højlund, and Victor Lindelöf are all unavailable due to injuries. Ten Hag may opt to keep the same back four that kept a clean sheet against Fulham, but new signing Matthijs de Ligt could replace Harry Maguire at center-back. Zirkzee is likely to start after his match-winning performance, with Bruno Fernandes moving back to his preferred number 10 role, which might see Mason Mount drop to the bench. Alejandro Garnacho could also be recalled to the starting lineup on either wing, potentially ahead of Amad Diallo or Marcus Rashford.