Brighton vs Manchester United Preview: How to Watch on TV, Live Stream, Kick Off Time & Team News
By George Cannon
After Saturday's controversial Premier League encounter, Brighton again host Manchester United on Wednesday with a place in the Carabao Cup fifth round at stake.
Bruno Fernandes stole the three points for the Red Devils when they travelled to the Amex Stadium at the weekend, dispatching a penalty given by VAR after the final whistle had been blown. However, it's been a tough start to the new campaign for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's side, who are yet to recapture their impressive form from the backend of 2019/20.
Graham Potter's men deserved at least a point out of the match after putting in a solid performance, so revenge will surely be on the minds of the Seagulls. They've only won one of their first three league matches, but their performances have been impressive and will have filled them with belief heading into this repeat fixture.
Where to Watch on TV
When Is Kick Off? Wednesday 30 September
What Time Is Kick Off? 19:45 (BST)
Where Is it Played? Amex Stadium
TV Channel/Live Stream? Sky Sports Main Event (UK)
Referee? Graham Scott
Team News
Brighton will be without influential midfielder Yves Bissouma through suspension once again after the Mali international was sent off in their victory over Newcastle.
Jose Izquierdo and Florin Andone remain the only absentees through injury for the south coast club, but it remains to be seen how strong a side Potter fields for this one. Against Preston in the last round, he picked a much-changed side, but given the step up in opposition and their recent promising display against them, he may be tempted to put out a full-strength team.
Centre-back pair Axel Tuanzebe and Phil Jones are the only players sidelined for United. Solskjaer will undoubtedly ring the changes though, with summer signing Donny van de Beek highly likely to feature from the start. Dean Henderson is also expected to replace David de Gea in between the sticks after keeping a clean sheet against Luton in the third round.
Predicted Lineups
Brighton: Steele; Veltman, Burn, White, Bernardo; Propper, Sanders; Jahanbakhsh, Gross, Mac Allister; Maupay.
Manchester United: Henderson; Fosu-Mensah, Bailly, Maguire, Williams; Fred, Matic; James, Van de Beek, Lingard; Ighalo.
Recent Form
Brighton have won convincingly in the last two rounds of the Carabao Cup, scoring six and conceding none in victories over Portsmouth and Preston respectively. They'll be hopeful of going deep in the competition as the big guns focus on European qualification.
Although Brighton haven't replicated their cup form in the Premier League, picking up just three points from a possible nine so far, their performances have warranted far more than they have got. Losses at home to top six sides Chelsea and Wednesday's opponents United have flattered the visitors.
Neal Maupay has started the season in fine form, bagging three goals in his first three league matches, and will be hoping to carry that over into the Carabao Cup.
Although United beat Brighton just a matter of days ago, their form is still far from convincing. They didn't deserve to come away from the Amex with three points, but it was an improvement on their dreadful opening day defeat at the hands of Crystal Palace.
Their victory over Luton Town in the last round was also underwhelming despite what the 3-0 score might suggest. United often look a shadow of themselves when they have to rely on their fringe players, although one who will be itching to seize his opportunity is Henderson.
The 23-year-old shot-stopper made an incredible save at Kenilworth Road and he'll be looking to repeat the feat in midweek.
Here's how the two sides have fared in their last five fixtures...
Brighton
Brighton 2-3 Manchester United (26/9)
Preston 0-2 Brighton (23/9)
Newcastle 0-3 Brighton (20/9)
Brighton 4-0 Portsmouth (17/9)
Brighton 1-3 Chelsea (14/9)
Manchester United
Brighton 2-3 Manchester United (26/9)
Luton 0-3 Manchester United (22/9)
Manchester United 1-3 Crystal Palace (19/9)
Sevilla 2-1 Manchester United (16/8)
Manchester United 1-0 Copenhagen (10/8)
Prediction
When United are without the likes of Marcus Rashford, Anthony Martial, Bruno Fernandes and Paul Pogba they tend to look like a completely different side. They lack pace, penetration and genuine quality and often struggle to break teams down.
Under Potter, Brighton are a really slick outfit who have already shown they can cause issues for any side and will be optimistic going into this encounter.
The result may depend on just how much either manager alters their side but a narrow Brighton win could be the outcome.
Prediction: Brighton 1-0 Manchester United