Prediction & odds for the game: Brighton (15/4) v Manchester United (3/4)

When: Saturday, 26th September @ 12.30pm K.O

Where: Amex Stadium

Brighton & Hove Albion will attempt to pull off a shock this weekend as they host Manchester United in their third Premier League game of the season.

Brighton

Brighton are always going to be viewed as one of the leading contenders for relegation but even with that being a case, fans tend to have a certain confidence in what Graham Potter can do for them. They play decent football, they have some intriguing youngsters coming through the ranks, and they tend to play without much pressure on their shoulders. If they can continue to grind out results then they should be just fine this season.

They may have lost their opening game against Chelsea but they did put forward a strong account for themselves, and they really kicked on with their 4-0 win over Portsmouth in the Carabao Cup. They kept the train rolling with a nice 3-0 win over Newcastle, and in the cup, they also progressed with a 2-0 triumph against Championship side Preston.

Manchester United

The expectations that are continuously placed on the shoulders of Manchester United have been well documented, and ever since Sir Alex Ferguson left Old Trafford, they’ve failed to live up to the hype on more than one occasion. This season is going to be an important one for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer because while he’s had some great moments during his stint as manager, he needs to prove that he is capable of being the man who can guide this team to future success.

United’s Europa League semi-final defeat against Sevilla saw them end last season on a real downer, and they were unable to shake that off one month later when they were beaten by Crystal Palace. They proceeded to play Luton Town in the Carabao Cup and after a few scares, they pulled through with a nice 3-0 win.

Conclusion

Brighton won’t have any fear when going up against United but we just don’t think they’ve got what it takes to stand toe to toe with Ole’s men for the whole 90 minutes. They’ll battle hard and they’ll give them a bloody nose but even after the Red Devils’ poor start to the campaign against Crystal Palace, they should still have too much in the tank against the Seagulls. It’ll be close on the scoreline, but it won’t blow anyone away in terms of the game’s quality.

We’re going to back the under 2.5 goals market, potentially opening the door for some defensive, tactical warfare between the two clubs. There may not be the kind of entertainment factor that we’d like from an early Saturday kickoff, but there will still be some significant talking points.

Verdict: Back the away at odds of 3/4 and the under 2.5 goals scored at odds of 10/11 (All odds are taken from bet365).

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You can bet on Brighton vs Manchester United by visiting the betting page, or, you can check out some of the other available fixtures at the soccer predictions page.