MANCHESTER UNITED will be bidding to return to winning ways in the Premier League when they take on Brighton & Hove Albion at Old Trafford on Saturday.
Excitement and expectations were high among the Red Devils faithful ahead of the new campaign after watching their side end their six-year trophy drought en-route to securing a commendable third-place finish last term.
However, it’s been a pretty sobering start to the season for Erik ten Hag’s team, who have won two and lost two of their opening four fixtures of the season.
Last time out, United were hit by two second-half injury-time strikes, as Arsenal came from behind to claim a 3-1 win in a highly-entertaining encounter at the Emirates Stadium.
Meanwhile, Brighton got back in the winning groove their in last outing with an impressive 3-1 win over Newcastle, with the show being stolen by 18-year-old Evan Ferguson who hit a hat-trick.
That means Roberto De Zerbi’s side have triumphed in three of their opening four top-flight tussles of the season and they will smell blood when they make the trip to Old Trafford this weekend.
Outright Betting
Manchester United, who are currently in the midst of 20-game unbeaten run at home in the Premier League, are 6/5 (Ladbrokes) favourites to claim top honours.
Brighton & Hove Albion were the last top-flight team to emerge victorious from this venue but they are as big as 16/5 (Bet 365) to repeat the trick on Saturday while a point apiece has been priced up at 29/10 (William Hill))
Betting Angles
Backing goals to flow paid off for me in Man United’s aforementioned defeat at Arsenal and I’m going to side with a similar formula here by bundling up Both Teams to Score, Over 2.5 Goals and Over 0.5 First Half goals at 4/5 (William Hill).
Although Erik ten Hag has plenty of firepower at his disposal, the Red Devils’ rearguard fragility has been very apparent during the opening stretch of the season, evidenced by the fact that they have shipped seven goals across their last three league games.
That does not bode well ahead of Saturday’s visit from an attack-minded Brighton outfit that have banged in a league-best 12 goals across their opening four league games.
However, at the other end of the park, it's worth pointing out that the Seagulls have failed to keep the back door shut in each those four contests.
Therefore, they could struggle to tame a Manchester United team that have scored in 19 of their 21 top-flight home matches under Erik ten Hag’s tutorship.
With all that in mind, as well as the fact that this Bet Builder would have banked profit from all four of Brighton’s Premier League games this season to date, supporting the same combination on Saturday stands out at 4/5 (William Hill)
Fresh off the back of stellar showing for England in midweek against Scotland, I’ll also have nibble on Lewis Dunk to go into the book at 6/1 (UniBet).
While the Seagulls skipper has yet to be booked this season, he has clocked up 25 cards across his last four Premier League campaigns, so he looks worthy of a small investment to have his name taken here at a bold price.
This English Premier League match between Manchester United and Brighton & Hove Albion will be played on Sep 16, 2023 and kick off at 15:00. Check below for our tipsters best Manchester United vs Brighton & Hove Albion prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.