It’s time for a home opener as Brighton and Hove welcome Manchester United to American Express Community Stadium. We’re live from East Suxxex in England, sharing our Premier League odds series, making a Brighton-Manchester United prediction and pick.
Brighton destroyed Everton 3-0 in their Premier League opener. Kaoru Mitoma broke the scoreless draw in the 26th minute off a sweet pass from Yankuba Minteh. Later, Danny Welbeck delivered a beautiful strike on an assist from Mats Wieffer to make it 2-0. Simon Adringa leveled the match with a goal on an assist from Welbeck.
Brighton fired 10 shots, five of which hit the target. Additionally, they maintained a 63 percent possession rate and 90 percent pass accuracy. Brighton also had five corner-kick chances. Somehow, they only needed to make one save in the entire matchup.
Manchester United defeated Fulham 1-0 despite missing some players to start the season. Things started sloppily for Manchester United as Mason Mount and Harry McGuire drew yellow cards. Somehow, it was still scoreless in the 87th minute when Joshua Zirkee finally struck one through the net off a pass from Alejandro Garnacho.
Manchester United fired 14 shots, five of which hit the net. Furthermore, they had a 91-percent possession rate. The Red Devils also had seven corner-kick chances.
The squads split the series last season, with Brighton winning 3-1 at Old Trafford before Manchester United won 2-0 at American Express Community Stadium. Brighton has won four of the last five Premier League matchups between the squads.
Here are the Premier League odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
Premier League Odds: Brighton-Manchester United Odds
Brighton: +145
Manchester United: +165
Draw: +270
Over 2.5 goals: -186
Under 2.5 goals: +137
How to Watch Brighton vs. Manchester United
Time: 7:30 AM ET/4:30 AM PT
TV: Peacock, TNT Sports
Stream: (Click Here for Free Trial)
Why Brighton Will Win
The Albion were explosive in the first match of the Premier League season. Amazingly, they fired three goals and now will look to do it again, but this time against a better squad.
Welbeck was the best player on the field, with a goal and an assist. Meanwhile, Mitoma showed his ability to strike and got one past Jordan Pickford. Adringra was also efficient and will look to build on a great performance and deliver more results. Assists from Weiffer and Minteh also helped pace the Albion.
The defense did an excellent job of not allowing Everton even to threaten them. They allowed just one shot that actually hit the target and made things easier for goalkeeper Jason Steele. While he needed to make just one save, he will surely face a much more significant threat in this showdown against the Red Devils.
Brighton and Hove will win this matchup if they can continue applying pressure on the defensive side of the field and take as many shots as possible. Then, they must prevent the Red Devils from getting too many chances on the net.
Why Manchester United Will Win
It did not feel like a good win for Manchester United. Instead, they looked weak and unorganized. Committing two yellow cards did not help alter the perception. To beat Brighton on the road, Manchester United must dig deep and find a way to score more goals.
Zirkee was the hero in the opener and finished with one goal and nine assists. Meanwhile, Marcus Rashford finished with 27 passes. Bruno Fernandes finished with six shots, including three hitting the target and 45 passes. Garnacho played well, finishing with one assist, two shots, and 10 passes.
The defense was the unsung hero. They did not allow Fulham to threaten them often and maintained possession of the ball to prevent extra chances. This made things much smoother for goalkeeper Andre Onana, who finished with two saves. Manchester United will need more of that to contend with Brighton.
Manchester United will win this matchup if one of their forwards or midfielders can step up and set up some chances to score some goals early and often. Then, they need their defense to continue to play stout defense and not allow Brighton to have the same amount of chances they had in their opener.
Final Brighton-Manchester United Prediction & Pick
If Manchester United was healthy, they likely would be the favorites in this one. However, they are still reeling and do not have their complete team. This could spell disaster against a squad hungry for more and feeling extremely confident after a brilliant performance in their opening week. Expect Brighton to come out with fast legs, extra energy, and some nice plays, which will be enough for them to steal one here at home against the most famous team in the Premier League.
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Final Brighton-Manchester United Prediction & Pick: Brighton (+145)
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