Manchester United are looking to make it three wins on the bounce when they welcome Brighton to Old Trafford today.
Ruben Amorim’s long wait for back-to-back victories finally came to an end with victory over Liverpool on Sunday – with United now only two points behind the defending champions.
It was perhaps United’s best display under the Portuguese coach whose team selection and in in-game decisions paid off to ease some of the mounting pressure on his shoulders.
But supporters will be aware a poor performance against Brighton this evening will undo all that progress.
Amorim opted to drop Benjamin Sesko to the bench at Anfield with Matheus Cunha deployed in an advanced role. The Brazilian was superb on Merseyside, delivering his best performance since joining the club.
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Amorim explained the aerial prowess of Virgil van Dijlk and Ibrahima Konate prompted the rethink in attack with his attackers up against another powerful unit in Jan Paul van Hecke and Lewis Dunk this weekend.
Sesko himself was sharp coming off the bench and Amorim may will be tempted to restore the Slovenian up top with Cunha joining Bryan Mbeumo in support.
Harry Maguire silenced plenty of doubters after replacing Leny Yoro in defence at Anfield, but Amorim revealed that the Englishman is a doubt for this weekend’s fixture after picking up a minor injury in the week.
The United boss also confirmed that Mason Mount is similarly a doubt for the clash against Brighton, and confirmed that Lisandro Martinez has still yet to return to full training with the first team after his serious knee injury earlier in the year.
Man Utd XI to face Brighton – Metro prediction
Maguire and Mount’s late fitness issues may well have caused a headache for Amorim, who was surely tempted to name the same starting XI that won at Anfield.
Given Mount’s chequered history with injuries, it would hardly be a surprise if United chose to take no risks with the Englishman and take him out of the starting lineup.
Should that be the case, Sesko would surely come in to lead the line, with Cunha dropping back alongside Mbeumo to complete the front three.
Man Utd vs Brighton TV channel and kick-off time
Manchester United vs Brighton kicks off at 5:30pm today (Saturday 25 October).
You can watch the match live on Sky Sports Premier League and Sky Sports Main Event with streaming also available through the Sky Go app and NOW TV for subscribers.
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