Manchester United hunting second consecutive win against Brighton & Hove Albion
Brighton & Hove Albion and Manchester United meet on Saturday 24 August at 12:30 (GMT+1) at the Falmer Stadium. Both clubs opened their Premier League campaign with a victory and are looking to maintain that momentum on Matchday 2.
Brighton fly out of the blocks under Hürzeler
Fabian Hürzeler could not have wished for a better start to his Premier League managerial career. The 34-year-old German watched his Brighton & Hove Albion side dismantle a ten-man Everton 3-0 on the opening day. The Seagulls capitalised generously on errors in the Everton defence. Kaoru Mitoma opened the scoring after 25 minutes, confirming his return from a lengthy injury. Danny Welbeck added a second in the 56th minute, before Simon Adingra sealed the victory three minutes from time. Despite the comfortable win, Hürzeler remained measured at his press conference, describing the result as 'a good start, nothing more.' That modesty suits a coach who has a clear-eyed view of the landscape: while Brighton have toppled some big names in recent years — the Seagulls have won four of their last five meetings with Manchester United (4W, 0D, 1L) — there is also a less flattering statistic to bear in mind. Brighton have lost four of their last five home Premier League matches (1W, 0D, 4L), which takes some of the shine off the optimism. Summer signing Yankuba Minteh will be absent after sustaining a head injury against Everton. Welbeck is once again expected to lead the line in Hürzeler's 4-2-3-1.
Manchester United aiming for first back-to-back season-opening wins since 2017-18
Manchester United shook off the disappointment of their Community Shield defeat with a narrow 1-0 victory over Fulham. It was substitute Joshua Zirkzee who made the difference in the 87th minute on his debut for the club, following a double substitution by manager Erik ten Hag. Garnacho, also introduced from the bench, provided the assist for the Dutchman. Despite the slim margin, it was an encouraging season opener for the Red Devils. Another win, this time against Brighton, would see Manchester United win their first two league matches of a season for the first time since 2017-18. The Mancunians have historically struggled against the Seagulls: in no fewer than 43 percent of their fourteen Premier League meetings, United have come out on the losing side (6 of 14 matches). Ten Hag was visibly pleased with Zirkzee's impact against Fulham and is expected to hand the forward a starting role at the Falmer Stadium on Saturday. The manager is set to line up in a 4-2-3-1 formation once again.
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Source: Sportmonks
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