- Man United has kept 4 straight clean sheets v. Brighton at home
- Brighton has won last two matches v. Man United
- Man United has kept 2 straight clean sheets for first time this season
Manchester United is hoping to take advantage of a Chelsea or Arsenal slip as the Red Devils host Brighton at Old Trafford, Saturday at 10:00 a.m. ET live on CNBC or live online at NBCSports.com.
The Red Devils sit level with Arsenal on 41 points, six behind fourth-placed Chelsea. With the other two clubs meeting up, it’s the perfect opportunity to pick up ground on whoever drops points.
Alexis Sanchez may be fit to take the field for Manchester United, after a calf problem kept him out of the 1-0 victory over Tottenham last time out. Sanchez has made just one substitute Premier League appearance since the start of December thanks to a number of injuries and poor form, and he has made just a single league start since the start of October.
In addition to Sanchez, Eric Bailly is also available after his red card against Bournemouth in late December. However, Marouane Fellaini, Chris Smalling, and Marcos Rojo are all injured.
Brighton will look to prevent Ole Gunnar Solskjaer from becoming the first Manchester United manager to win each of his first Premier League matches in charge. They will be without Bernardo and Jose Izquierdo due to injuries, while Yves Bissouma is a game-time decision. The Seagulls have won the last two against Manchester United - both by one-goal margins - but those wins came at home, as the club has never defeated Manchester United at Old Trafford.
What they’re saying
Brighton manager Chris Hughton on Solskjaer: “I think the results speak for themselves. They have been able to win games and look like scoring and playing really well. Any manager coming in after Mourinho, I don’t think they could have expected any more from anybody that would have come in. The results and the performances indicate that.
Solskjaer on Alexis Sanchez fitness: “He loves to play football. He’s been hindered by injury – I know all about injuries and how frustrating that can be and how eager you are to get back. In the Reading game, maybe he should have told me at half-time, ‘I need to come off now’. The 15 or 20 minutes he played in the second half, maybe that was a bit too much for him and that gave him a setback. He’s chomping at the bit, he’s working hard in training. His attitude in training has been fantastic and he wants to play. I’m looking forward to seeing him and I’ve got loads of good players to choose from.”
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Prediction
Manchester United’s scorching-hot form will dip at some point, that much is inevitable. Until that happens, it’s near impossible to pick against them. That said, Brighton is poised as any to shock Solskjaer’s squad, and they could have the tools to set the Red Devils back.
Nevertheless, despite Brighton’s solid form of late, playing at Old Trafford will prove just too much, and another 1-0 victory will see Manchester United through to gain ground on either Arsenal, Chelsea, or both.