Manchester United v Brighton: Mourinho's men to get back on track at fortress Old Trafford

Manchester United v Brighton
Saturday 25 November, 15:00

United's inconsistent patch

Manchester United had been flying high at the top of the Premier League just six weeks ago, alongside cross-town rivals Manchester City. But unlike Pep Guardiola's charges, United had looked far from fluent despite winning nine of their first 10 games of the season following defeat to Real Madrid in the European Super Cup.

That run ended with a dour 0-0 draw at Anfield and since then United have been on a wildly inconsistent run of games that has included impressive wins over Tottenham and Newcastle as well as shock defeats to Premier League new boys Huddersfield Town and FC Basel on Wednesday night.

Exactly which United will turn out on Saturday would appear to be anyone's guess but there are at least two rays of hope for manager Jose Mourinho in this difficult spell: Paul Pogbaand Zlatan Ibrahimovic - two of the club's outstanding performers last season - have got more first-team football in their legs this week after long injury lay-offs. United will need both men in form over the coming months if they are to overhaul the eight point lead City have suddenly opened up in the title race.

Brighton's impressive start

Had you offered Chris Hughton 16 points and ninth place in the Premier League table after 12 games he would likely have ripped your hand off quicker than you can say 'Brighton & Hove Albion'.

Behind much of the Seagulls' early success has been German midfielder Pascal Groß. The 26-year-old has been directly involved in 62% of his side's 13 Premier League goals this season (three goals, five assists) and Hughton's back room team must be applauded for securing his services for a barely believable £3m in the summer.

Following a run of five unbeaten games, including two wins on the road in a row, Hughton is confident his side can pull off a shock this weekend, explaining there is no pressure on his side. He is one of very few who has such belief.

Fortress Old Trafford

Manchester United have kept a clean sheet in 25 of their past 50 Premier League games and are now unbeaten at Old Trafford in 38 matches. They also have a formidable record against newly promoted sides having won 18 of their previous home matches against sides in their Premier League debut seasons.

With that in mind it is hardly surprising they come into this as short favourites at odds of 1.20 while Brighton are long odds at 19.00. With that price on United far from exciting, many punters will be looking at the margin of their expected win instead.

If you fancy a win by a number of goals, then United -2 at odds of 9/5 or even United -3 at odds of 9/2 could be more tempting.

United have stuck four goals on four of the previous six visitors to Old Trafford, conceding just once in that time. The task facing Hughton's men is monumental.

Lukaku under pressure

United were much changed in mid-week, resting the likes of Antonio Valencia and Ashley Young at full-back and we can expect to see a much improved side on Saturday. Another boost was the return of Marcos Rojo who managed the full 90 minutes in Switzerland on Wednesday.

But it is in the forward positions that could well be of most interest at United in the coming weeks. The return of Zlatan Ibrahimovic from injury has coincided with a downturn in luck for new signing Romelu Lukaku.

The Belgian started the season in scintillating form but has now scored just one goal in United's last eight games. If he does not improve on that quickly then Ibrahimovic - a man trusted by Mourinho - could well find himself in the first-team more and more.

This will be Lukaku's first appearance against Brighton and is a chance for him to score against his 25th different Premier League team. You can back him at 11/4 to open the scoring or at 5/6 to score anytime.

Ref watch

The man in the middle for Saturday's game will be Neil Swarbrick. The Lancastrian has taken charge of nine games this season, dishing out 25 yellow cards but not a single red.

Recommended Bet
Back Manchester United -2 @ 9/5