Brighton v Man United - Will Solskjaer’s men extend their unbeaten record?
Premier League
By
Emmanuel Too
| Jun 30, 2020
Manchester United travel to Amex Stadium tonight to lock horns with Brighton and Hove Albion, with the idea in mind that should they lose, their chances of playing in next season's Champions League grow dimmer.
The Red Devils are unbeaten in 7 Premier League matches and 14 in all competitions.
United have scored 35 goals and conceded four during their unbeaten period. This accounting to their best form since a 17-match streak without defeat between Nov 2016 and Jan 2017.
Fresh from qualifying to the FA Cup semis, and a prolific re-start of the season after the coronavirus break, the Mancunians will be keen to settle scores.
The battle will also be in efforts to close the three points’ gap between them and the fifth-placed Wolverhampton and a chase on Chelsea who sit fourth with five points separating the two rivals.
With Man United’s new energy and a revamped line up, the match will unveil the immense potential and impetus they have enjoyed in recent games.
The recent Martial hat trick at Old Trafford against Sheffield United and a formidable partnership between Bruno Fernandez and Paul Pogba has added a renewed life in the midfield that has improved the Reds’ chances.
Ever since Bruno signed from Sporting Lisbon, Ole Gunnar Solkjaer’s men have not lost a single match, thanks to the creativity from the 25-year old Portuguese ace.
With all the players available except Phil Jones and Axel Tuanzebe, Ole is spoilt for choice. This means that the Man United boss can pick from his pool of talented players with some sort of ease.
On the other hand, Brighton has in the recent past proven to be a hard nut to crack for Manchester United. Coming into this match, they are rejuvenated after a 2-1 win against Arsenal in their opening match of the season's re-start.
Brighton have collected four points from their two games since the restart. This could have been six if they had put away their penalty against Leicester City which ended up in a draw.
Although they sit in the red with 33 points after 31 fixtures, the Seagulls have remained consistent in their recent games.
They are unbeaten in three matches, which have all been against sides in the top half of the table: Wolves, Arsenal and Leicester.
They have also kept two clean sheets in those three games, as many as they had been able to have in their previous 20 league fixtures.
Brighton sits 15th on the Premier League log with 33 points and Manchester United 6th with 49 points so far.
In their last six meetings, Ole's side has triumphed with 4 wins against Brighton's 2. This, Tonight's 10:15 PM fixture will therefore not be a small feat. It is a fight to the death for a team seeking a chance to match up to its peers in the top four space and a team trying to flee the relegation pit.
Watch out.