United begin their FA Cup journey with the visit of the Seagulls as Brighton travel to Old Trafford to take on Darren Fletcher’s MUFC.
The caretaker boss began life in the dugout with a disappointing draw at Burnley on Wednesday night. However, in spite of the stalemate, there were more positives than negatives (in my opinion) which he and his side can take into this all important clash.
Can United get one over Brighton again?
Predicted Lineup
Fletcher didn’t give us much in terms of team news so I expect the same team that started at Burnley to start tomorrow.
While Maguire was back on the bench, the chances of him starting are little and less. I’d expect Martinez and Heaven to remain as centre-backs.
Casemiro had one of his worst games on Wednesday and with Mainoo fit and available again, perhaps Fletcher could be tempted to start the academy graduate. He was speaking highly of La Carrington and spoke about how Mainoo is doing well in his pre-match presser so maybe there is a chance?
My feeling is that he won’t drop the Brazilian. I don’t think Fletcher has the balls so to speak to bench a player who has the legacy of Casemiro. Ugarte performed well so I don’t think he can be dropped.
The front four should stay as is even if we see Mbeumo return from AFCON. It will be too quick a turnaround for him to play on Sunday after a Friday night tie against Morocco.
Approach
The defense and midfield were still problems. Formational changes, personnel changes, it made no matter as United struggled to gain control at Turf Moor as well as conceded 2 stupid goals even though Burnley had just one shot on target. I know 😑.
Casemiro as mentioned, was poor in that match. He was the one who let the player run behind him before his deflected cross off of Heaven looped over Lammens and found the back of the net.
That lack of tracking back has been an issue for years and highlights that it’s not necessarily a formation problem but rather, who is playing in it. Fletcher can only use these players who have been let downs for many years and in game one, let him down to.
With that being said, the Brazilian was a standout in that win over the Seagulls at Old Trafford, He grabbed an assist and his deflected strike wrong-footed the 'keeper to put United 2 goals up.
Let's hope he can perform like that again tomorrow night.
However, without Carlos Baleba though, Brighton will undoubtedly be much weaker in the centre of the park which could work in our favour.
In terms of going forward, United have no issues. We are the third highest scorers in the league with 36. The league meeting was one of United’s most entertaining with 4 being scored back in October.
At Burnley, we had 24 shots at goal with a third of them on target. A couple hit the post, a couple were cleared off the line, a couple of good saves were made and we had one wrongfully ruled out. On another day, United easily score 4 or 5.
Sesko got an assist in that win over Brighton and is a man in form after his brace at Burnley. That also earned him the Premier League player of the week award.
The Seagulls’ boss Fabian Hurzeler also spoke highly of United’s striker saying that “he’s strong, fast, scores with his head, he is technical, finds good solutions in tight spaces. I like him as a player.”
If we play to his strengths like we did on Wednesday and have Bruno the creator behind him, then I see no reason as to why Big Ben can’t caused Brighton all sorts of problems.
They are also a team who like to build up from the back. United are very good with the high press and was one of the main reasons how we got the better of Brighton the last time they came to the Theatre.
A player who can help with this is Mount. He is back from injury after returning from the bench at Burnley. He is an option but whether Fletcher will start him remains to be seen.
Brighton
Fabian Hurzeler’s side picked up a good point at the noisy neighbors in their last match which can give them confidence ahead of this tie.
With United being in the situation of having a caretaker manager in charge and just the overall uncertainty at the club, they will want to take advantage of that. The recent history other than the latest meeting is also heavily in Brighton’s favour with six wins in their previous eight including three straight victories at Old Trafford.
Tbh, it’s very difficult to think how cup games are going to go. As they are one-offs where you live or die, anything is possible. For example, the last time these two faced each other in this competition, it went to penalties which United won.
Everything goes out the window because it’s a knockout game. Brighton will know that all the pressure is on United and will play without fear. That could work for or against us depending on our mentality.
Prediction
Fletcher spoke about the importance of this trophy and the impact it can have. Not only is it great to win the competition as silverware is what it’s all about, but it can have a big impact on our long-term future as well.
As for my prediction, I feel like we will play some good football and due to Brighton’s openness, create a lot of chances as well. We do score a lot of goals too and I expect a couple more here.
I can also see us conceding a couple of stupid goals which is a habit of United's so I wouldn’t be surprised if this was entertaining but tight.
In the end though, I believe we’ll win 3-2.
How do you think our opening tie in the FA Cup will go and how important do you feel this competition is to United both for the short- and long-terms?
Matheus Cunha | Image via Manchester United official X (@ManUtd)
Old Trafford | Image credit: Getty Images via Goal
Karou Mitoma | Image via Brighton & Hove Albion official X (@OfficialBHAFC)