Manchester United marched on into the semi-finals of the FA Cup on Saturday with a 2-1 extra time win over Norwich, in a game where Ole Gunnar Solskjaer made 8 changes to the team, resulting in a performance not at their fluid best. However, what it did do, is increase United’s unbeaten run to 14 games, the longest that Ole has had during his time at Old Trafford. Next up comes Brighton & Hove Albion, as United look to continue their chase for a top-4 spot and secure Champions League football for next season. Here’s all you need to know:

Teams: Brighton & Hove Albion vs Manchester United

Date: Saturday 30th June 2020

KO Time: 20:15 GMT

Stadium: The Falmer Stadium (known as the Amex Stadium)

Managers: Graham Potter and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer

Referee: Andre Marriner

Team News:

For Brighton & Hove Albion, one can expect Neil Maupay to start, since he has made an explosive restart to Premier League action. Tariq Lamptey played well in their game against Leicester City on his debut so he could retain his place in the team. Adam Webster has a hamstring injury since the last game and is looking likely to sit this one out.

Manchester United are likely to play their full starting lineup once again, perhaps giving a rest, however to Bruno Fernandes, who has played almost every minute since the restart. The game could see Scott McTominay keep his place in the starting lineup, with Paul Pogba in the attacking midfield role that Bruno normally takes up. Harry Maguire could also in turn be rested, as he played the entire 120 minutes also against Norwich just 3 days ago, scoring the emphatic last-minute winner.

Interesting Facts:

Manchester United have never won away at Brighton in the Premier League, they last won there in 1983, playing in the FA Cup

If Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial score against Brighton, it’ll be the first time since 2010-11 that two United players both score 20 in a season.

Although on a 2-match win streak vs Brighton, Manchester United are on a 3 game losing streak in the league at Brighton’s place, a run that stretches back to 1982

Although it was only only last season, since the last time United visited the Amex Stadium, there could be 5 or even 6 changes to the lineup we had there. Lukaku and Young are at Inter Milan, Juan Mata and Andreas Pereira are expected to be on the bench, while one or two of Victor Lindelof, Eric Bailly and Luke Shaw are also perhaps not starting.

Predicted Lineup and Score:

Since there were 8 changes made to the team for that stuttering performance at Norwich on Saturday, I expect there to be almost as many to the team against Brighton. Rashford, Martial and Greenwood could start up front, with Pogba almost certainly coming into the midfield. McTominay should get his place in the first XI, since he was subbed against Norwich, with perhaps Matic playing next to him. It could very well be Fred next to him, but I expect Matic to see some game time in this match. Luke Shaw should make way for Brandon Williams after also playing the full 120 minutes on Saturday, whilst Harry Maguire will be expected to retain his place. Partnering him will almost definitely be Lindelof, who was given a full rest on Saturday, whilst Wan-Bissaka and De Gea will also be restored to their starting places.

Predicted Team: De Gea, Wan-Bissaka, Lindelof, Maguire, Williams, McTominay, Matic, Pogba, Greenwood, Rashford, Martial

As for the score, I expect United to exorcise their demons and break the streak that they have against Brighton. Brighton are a tough team to beat and I expect them to give us a good game and make us fight for the win, but I believe we can get there in the end and make it 15 on the bounce unbeaten.

Predicted Score: 1-2 to United