Manchester United vs Brighton
Date: 25th November 2017
K.O: 15.00pm
Venue: Old Trafford
Brighton and Hove Albion travel to Manchester United on Saturday, with Chris Hughton’s men looking to extend their unbeaten run to six Premier League games.
It’s clear to see already that Manchester United and Jose Mourinho are losing hope of winning the Premier League for the first time since Alex Ferguson was in charge.
United go into Saturday’s game against Brighton and Hove Albion a full eight points behind the Premier League leaders Manchester City.
Embed from Getty ImagesAnd it’s not just in terms of league position that City have been lording it over their rivals. A tally of 40 goals scored far exceeds any other Premier League team, while even this week City were victorious against Feyenoord, while United slumped to an embarrassing defeat against Basel.
Such comparisons between the two biggest spending clubs in English football do not go down well with United manager Mourinho, particularly when critics have attacked his team’s occasionally defensive style of play this season.
Saturday’s game against Brighton will give United a chance to temporarily close the gap at the top of the table, with City not playing until late on Sunday afternoon.
But the in-form Seagulls will be no pushovers. Chris Hughton’s side are unbeaten in five in the Premier League and are relishing a first ever top-flight trip to one of the most vaunted stadiums in the world.
“It’s one of the ones you look forward to when the fixtures come out at the start of the season because every player wants to play in big stadiums like Old Trafford,” midfielder Solly March told Brighton’s official website this week.
Embed from Getty Images“Not many of us have played there so that’s good for us and it’s a real chance for both myself and the boys to test themselves against the best.”
Brighton’s only injury absentee is veteran midfielder Steve Sidwell, while United have doubts over the fitness of Eric Bailly and Michael Carrick and Phil Jones remains out.
However, in a positive piece of injury news for United, centre-back Marcus Rojo made a much-awaited return from injury in the Champions League on Wednesday.
“Rojo played very well,” Mourinho said of his returning defender. “He could be playing a couple of weeks ago. We didn’t need to rush him. The first half was very easy, he had lot of the ball, he didn’t have to be physically demanding. He controlled very well his game, so I’m really happy.”
This will be the first Premier League meeting between these clubs and the first in any competition since January 1993.
Written by James Becker.
