Manchester United vs Brighton & Hove Albion - prediction, team news, lineups

Fresh from contrasting Premier League results implicit the weekend, Manchester United and Brighton & Hove Albion butt heads astatine Old Trafford successful the EFL Cup 3rd circular connected Wednesday night.

The victors of this necktie volition participate the fourth-round gully taking spot straight aft the match, with those fixtures to instrumentality spot during the week commencing October 26.

Match preview

The 199th Manchester derby turned retired to beryllium a highly arguable matter ending successful decision for Michael Carrick’s side, who fell to a constrictive 1-0 nonaccomplishment against 10-player Man City on Sunday. Erling Haaland’s second-half match-winner was allowed to basal contempt Enzo Fernandez interfering with play from an offside position.

Man United volition rightly consciousness aggrieved by VAR’s “error of judgment”, but the Red Devils yet failed to capitalise connected the numerical vantage they held for implicit an hour. Carrick’s laboured frontline painfully lacked ideas, forcing Gianluigi Donnarumma into making lone 1 meaningful prevention heavy into stoppage clip aft Phil Foden’s 23rd-minute dismissal.

After finishing past play connected a high, Man United person begun the caller run poorly, winning conscionable 1 of their opening 4 Premier League games (D1 L2) and failing to support a azygous cleanable expanse (seven goals conceded). They already sit 8 points adrift of some Arsenal and Man City astatine the summit, and immoderate slim hopes of a rubric situation look to person already been extinguished.

Before travelling to winless Fulham for their adjacent top-flight fixture connected Sunday, Man United volition endeavour to enactment things close against Brighton successful the EFL Cup, a contention they person won six times (third most), including their astir caller triumph successful 2022-23.

Wednesday’s fixture represents Man United’s archetypal successful the EFL Cup since their embarrassing second-round exit to fourth-tier outfit Grimsby Town nether erstwhile brag Ruben Amorim past season. The Red Devils were past knocked retired successful this contention earlier circular 4 successful successive seasons backmost successful 1994-95 and 1995-96.

Man United were beaten successful their astir caller cupful brushwood with Brighton, losing 2-1 astatine location successful the FA Cup 3rd circular successful January, but they did unafraid a 3-0 Premier League triumph implicit the Seagulls connected the last time of the 2025-26 play successful May. Success successful midweek would spot them grounds back-to-back wins implicit Brighton for the archetypal clip since February 2022.

In opposition to Man United, Brighton are flying precocious successful the Premier League, arsenic the Seagulls beryllium 4th successful the array with 7 points (W2 D1 L1). They person scored a division-high 13 goals crossed their opening 4 games this season, which is their astir astatine this signifier of immoderate of their 14 top-flight campaigns successful history.

Fabian Hurzeler’s broadside delivered a ruthless attacking show against 10-man Coventry City astatine the CBS Arena connected Sunday, putting their newly-promoted hosts to the sword 5-0 and signaling the joint-second biggest Premier League triumph successful their history.

While Hurzeler was delighted with his team’s violative output successful a “special” victory, with 5 antithetic players connected the scoresheet, helium besides heaped praise connected Man of the Match Bart Verbruggen, who made six saves to grounds his 4th cleanable expanse successful six games crossed each competitions this term.

A tricky location clash with champions Arsenal is connected the skyline for Brighton, but they volition archetypal displacement their absorption to Wednesday’s travel to Old Trafford and volition endeavour to amended connected a historically mediocre EFL Cup record, having progressed arsenic acold arsenic the quarter-finals lone erstwhile successful their past (1978-79); they person suffered a fourth-round exit successful 5 of the past six seasons, portion the different was successful circular three.

However, the Seagulls tin instrumentality comfortableness from their caller head-to-head grounds against Man United, winning 7 of their past 11 meetings crossed each tournaments (L4) and scoring astatine slightest 2 goals successful six of those victories – 4 of those wins were besides celebrated astatine Old Trafford.

Manchester United signifier (all competitions):

Brighton & Hove Albion signifier (all competitions):

Team News

Man United volition beryllium without Matthijs de Ligt (back), Manuel Ugarte (knee), Amad Diallo (ankle), Tom Heaton (hamstring) and Carlos Baleba (ankle) – signed from Brighton successful the summertime – arsenic they proceed to retrieve from injury.

Luke Shaw is simply a fittingness uncertainty and volition beryllium assessed up of kickoff aft missing the Manchester derby. Patrick Dorgu could proceed astatine left-back if Shaw is unavailable to return, but Carrick whitethorn besides see pushing him further guardant and starting Noussair Mazraoui connected the near broadside of a four-man defence.

Carrick is apt to freshen up his broadside further up the pitch, with Andrey Santos pushing for a callback successful midfield and Benjamin Sesko successful contention to commencement up beforehand up of Matheus Cunha, who has struggled to marque the desired interaction arsenic a mendacious nine.

As for Brighton, their packed attraction country includes Yankuba Minteh (calf), Kaoru Mitoma (thigh), Jack Hinshelwood, Zadok Yohanna (both unspecified), Mats Wieffer, Stefanos Tzimas (both knee) and Evan Ferguson (ankle).

Georginio Rutter (ankle), Femi Azeez (thigh) and Michael Svoboda (knee) each missed the triumph implicit Coventry and a precocious telephone is acceptable to beryllium made connected their availability for Wednesday.

Pascal Gross, who contributed to 3 goals (one goal, 2 assists) against Coventry, has scored much goals against Man United (seven) than immoderate different hostile successful his career. The 35-year-old could proceed successful midfield alongside Yasin Ayari and Malick Yalcouye, who besides scored astatine the weekend.

However, Hurzeler has caller enlistee Chema Andres and Matt O’Reilly pushing to start, portion Pascal Struijk, Jaouen Hadjam, Ibrahim Osman Promise David are besides contenders to diagnostic successful the archetypal XI.

Manchester United imaginable starting lineup:

Lammens; Dalot, Maguire, Martinez, Mazraoui; Mainoo, Santos; Mbeumo, Fernandes, Dorgu; Sesko

Brighton & Hove Albion imaginable starting lineup:

Verbruggen; Kadioglu, Dunk, Vuskovic, Boscagli; Gross, Ayari; Gomez, Yalcouye, De Cuyper; Kostoulas

We say: Manchester United 1-2 Brighton & Hove Albion

Confidence is flowing done this free-scoring Brighton broadside contempt not being astatine afloat strength, portion an out-of-sorts Man United are yet to displacement into archetypal cogwheel this word and volition beryllium wary of facing a nine that has routinely had their fig successful caller seasons.

Given the Red Devils' antiaircraft fragility and bluntness successful the last third, we consciousness that Hurzeler’s objective outfit person the borderline astatine this signifier of the campaign, boasting much than capable firepower to outscore their hosts and condemn them to successive aboriginal exits from the EFL Cup.

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