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The Premier League title is well beyond their reach, but a win will put Manchester United in good stead against the lowly Brighton and Hove Albion.
A win for the Red Devils will cement their place in the top four and then Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and his men can shift their focus totally towards their Europa League campaign.
However, Brighton is coming into this match on the back of a positive 3-0 win over Newcastle United and will look to impose themselves on the game and capitalise on the mistakes made by United. Graham Potter’s men have some tough schedule ahead after this as they take on Everton and Chelsea and their last three matches of the season are against West Ham, Manchester City, and Arsenal. So as the Seagulls are only six points above the relegation zone, they need some positive results to go their way.
United have been in good form before the international break barring the loss against Leicester City in the FA Cup quarterfinals. The Red Devils triumphed over their arch-rivals Manchester City and then held their composure in knocking AC Milan out from the Europa League round of 16. Solskjaer would want to end the season on a high and has eyes on winning the Europa League as they go up against Granada in the quarterfinals.
However, the international break has not been great for them as Anthony Martial is reportedly sidelined for this fixture after he picked up a knock during his international duty with France. Marcus Rashford and Mason Greenwood have also pulled out from the senior and U-21 England squads respectively. While Solskjaer still hopes that he will have the services of both Rashford and Greenwood against the Seagulls, the same is not the case with Martial who is likely to sit out this match.
Brighton will also miss some of their key players, as Adam Webster is set to miss out. He will not even travel to Old Trafford as he is recovering from his ankle injury. Webster joins the list of unavailable players in Tariq Lamptey and Solly March, who are expected to miss the remainder of the season. Potter will also miss South African forward Percy Tau as he is in quarantine after featuring for Bafana Bafana during the international break.
Key Players
Bruno Fernandes
The Portuguese midfielder has been the fan favourite at Old Trafford with his terrific performances this season. Bruno has shown that he can be the face of this big club as United fight on to regain their lost glories. With 16 goals this season in the Premier League the Portuguese midfielder has been in great goalscoring form. Apart from goals, he has also registered 10 assists proving his worth as the talisman that the Red Devils desperately needed.
Marcus Rashford
The England international is another player who can cause a lot of problems for the Seagulls especially with his dribbling and blistering speed. Rashford has already notched up nine goals and as many assists this season and will look to add more against Brighton. His availability is a big question, but he has trained with the team since leaving the England camp, and Solskjaer is hopeful that he will feature in the game.
Leandro Trossard
The Belgian versatile midfielder who can slot in centrally or even on the right flank has been one of the best players for Brighton this season. Trossard’s dribbling ability makes him the threat for the oppositions. He has already registered four goals and five assists. Trossard is also in some fiery form as he played big roles in their last two wins in the league. He came up with a goal and an assist against Newcastle and scored the winner against Southampton. He will look to replicate that performance against the Red Devils.
Yves Bissouma
The Malian youngster has grabbed all the attention with his solid performances for Brighton in the centre of the park. Bissouma has been linked with some top clubs in England and the 24-year-old has earned it with his consistent performances. He is someone who adds that extra bit of energy to this Brighton side with his exceptional box-to-box abilities. Also, his physical attributes allow him to dominate the midfield battles by winning both ground and aerial duels.
Prediction
Brighton have not had a good record against Manchester United as they were defeated 3-0 in the recent encounter at the EFL Cup last year. But the primary threat regarding the Seagulls is their unpredictable nature. Graham Potter’s men have shown glimpses that they can play some sublime football and win matches but have also been equally poor in some phases undoing all the good work.
This fixture will be very important for Solskjaer and his men as they gear up to face Granada in the Europa League quarterfinals. So the players will look to get back in good momentum for the important clash. These are such matches that are very difficult to predict and even more so when Brighton are involved but in all fairness, it looks like a very close encounter with United edging it 2-1.
