Tuesday, March 19, 2024

Prediction: Manchester United vs Brighton

Verdict: Marcus Rashford to score anytime

Best Odds: 6/5

Bookmaker: Bet365

Desperate to find some Premier League stability, Manchester United will welcome Brighton to Old Trafford on Sunday afternoon.

Manchester United

Starting with the hosts, after picking up a 3-0 victory over Partizan Belgrade on Thursday night and booking their spot in the last-32 of this year’s Europa League, Manchester United are desperate to carry that momentum into kickstarting their Premier League campaign. While Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side may have also clinched a spot in the quarter-finals of the EFL Cup at Stamford Bridge a fortnight ago and won four of their last five across all competitions, their top-flight performances are still coming under scrutiny. Suffering a 1-0 loss away at Bournemouth last weekend, the Norweigan icon has seen his men win just one of their last six Premier League appearances, a run that stems back to the 14th of September. One man to watch out for on Sunday will be England international, Marcus Rashford. Finding the net on European duties in midweek, the forward has scored five goals in seven appearances at Old Trafford this season, one more than he managed in 23 home appearances across all competitions last season.

Team News

Manchester United midfielder Scott McTominay is a doubt after sustaining a foot injury in the Europa League win against Partizan Belgrade.

Harry Maguire will also be assessed while Victor Lindelof may return from a back injury, but Ashley Young is suspended.

Brighton

As for the visitors, while Brighton may have openly struggled with their consistency at the start of the season, the Seagulls appear to be finding their feet under new boss Graham Potter. Picking up a 2-0 win over Norwich on the South Coast last weekend, the former Swansea boss has seen his side land back-to-back Premier League victories and have won three of their last four appearances. Now climbing up to eighth in the standings and sat just a single point adrift of breaking into the top-six, there is no doubt that fans around the Amex will be calling on their side to make some much-needed improvements on their travels. Suffering a 2-1 loss away at Aston Villa in their last appearance away from the South Coast, Brighton have lost three of their last four on the road and have not recorded an away victory since the opening weekend.

Team News

Brighton defender Adam Webster has been ruled out after being substituted last weekend with an ankle injury.

Leandro Trossard could start after scoring as a substitute versus Norwich.

Key Factors to Consider

  • Brighton have never won a Premier League match at Old Trafford.
  • The Seagulls have lost three of their last four matches on the road.
  • Manchester United have won four of their last five matches across all competitions.
  • Marcus Rashford has scored five goals in seven appearances at Old Trafford this season.
  • Brighton have failed to score in three of their last four Premier League matches on the road.

Conclusion

While Manchester United might be struggling with some glaring inconsistencies in the Premier League, the former champions should see this as a golden opportunity to pick up three points. With Brighton continuing to show some issues outside of the South Coast and Marcus Rashford enjoying an extended purple patch at Old Trafford there is no doubt that the England international should be confident of once again finding the net.

Verdict: Marcus Rashford to score anytime

Best Odds: 6/5

Bookmaker: Bet365

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Tom Dunstan


Formerly of The Independent, Tom has spent the past six years as one of our senior writers and betting experts. Alongside working with numerous publications from across the globe, Tom also graduated from the University of Falmouth in 2014 with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Digital Media.
Spending almost the past decade working in countries such as Australia, New Zealand and Canada, he has also spent time featuring in sports radio. Tom can be followed on Instagram - @iamtomdunstan

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