Manchester United are currently second on the Premier League table and they will be looking to consolidate that position by picking up a win vs Brighton and Hove Albion on Sunday.
Brighton are 16th on the league table and have lost three of their previous five league matches. So, on paper, Man United should be picking up an easy win. But, in the reverse fixture, Manchester United had a nightmare outing still they somehow managed to win that game 3-2.
The Seagulls had picked up back to back wins right before the international break kicked in and Graham Potter will look to continue this run by playing some positive football at Old Trafford on Sunday. And according to pundit Michael Owen, the attacking mindedness from the visiting side should help Man United hit them on the counter and pick up all three points.
Owen wrote for BetVictor: “If you were to have offered Ole Gunnar Solkjaer second spot in the Premier League this time last year, I’m pretty sure he’d have bitten your hand off.
“A lot of that goes down to the Red Devils magnificent away form, although they’ve definitely made improvements at home as well.
“Brighton have looked good on the eye on occasion this season, however, they’ve simply not put enough points on the board.
“The Seagulls like to play on the front foot, and if they have a go at United here, I think the hosts could pick them off on the counter. It’s 1-0 for United for me.”
Mark Lawrenson has also sided with a Manchester United win despite accepting that Brighton have looked lively in the past few weeks.
Lawrenson said in his column for the BBC Sport: “Brighton have won their past two games, and they are suddenly scoring for fun.
“They are now six points above the bottom three, which is a lot at this stage of the season, and with a much better goal difference than the teams below them too.
“So, the Seagulls head to Old Trafford on a high, and they are probably still wondering how they lost 3-2 to United at the start of the season – the winning goal, a Bruno Fernandes penalty, was scored after the full-time whistle, at the end of an absolutely crazy game that Brighton should have won.
“Things might be pretty tight this time too, but I am going for another United win.”
Manchester United have not been consistent enough in the past few months drawing four and losing one out of the previous eight matches across all competitions. Also, Solskjaer’s men are not in the best of their form when playing at home this season.
Brighton will undoubtedly come out and try to take the game to Manchester United on Sunday but if Ole can have players like Rashford and Greenwood back to full fitness then the home side should win this encounter based purely on the quality they will have on the pitch.
