Manchester United don’t seem to be in the best shape for their opening league game, at home to Brighton on Sunday. United weren’t really convincing towards the end of their preseason, and even the way they ended their season in the Premier League last season left a lot to be desired. One of the problems they are having to deal with at the moment regards the future of their best performer last season, Cristiano Ronaldo. A winless run in their final three preseason matches should be a bigger concern though. Manchester United have also failed to keep a clean sheet in their last five matches and they will be looking to avoid a repeat of their defeat at Brighton last time out – they suffered a 4-0 loss.
Brighton are reeling from the departure of one of their best players last season, Marc Cucurella, who has just been confirmed by Chelsea. Brighton also saw midfielder Yves Bissouma leave for Tottenham in the off-season. They had a pretty solid preseason, winning three of their last five matches, and only losing once. In the three wins, they’ve scored two or more goals but they have just one clean sheet in the last five matches. Brighton were strong finishers in the Premier League last season on their way to a ninth placed finish with 51 points, eight behind Manchester United. They finished unbeaten in five league matches and among these was a 4-0 win over Manchester United.
Brighton have had a solid run in preseason and they will want to carry this on in their league opener. They meet a Manchester United side that hasn’t been that strong defensively either, and we will back both teams to score here.