After a disappointing performance, losing the Community Shield to Manchester City, Manchester United have bounced back in time. They opened their 2024/25 Premier League campaign with a narrow win over Fulham last week at Old Trafford.
The Red Devils will face Brighton again this weekend in an away game. Erik Ten Hag’s side will be looking to make it two wins in a row. However, this is not an easy game for the Reds of Manchester considering how Brighton performed in their first game of the season.
Indeed, they were excellent in their 3-0 win over Everton at Goodison Park. Here is Man Utd’s optimal lineup when facing Brighton.
Defense
Andre Onana will continue to keep goal. Despite his good performance against Fulham, his distribution certainly needs some improvement. Notably, new signing Noussair Mazraoui had a great time on his debut and will be rewarded with a start at right-back once again.
On the other side, Man Utd have no better options because Luke Shaw and Tyrell Malacia are both injured. Therefore, Diogo Dalot was moved to the left-back position.
While Lisandro Martinez continues to cement his place in the heart of defence, Harry Maguire was seen limping off last week. That could allow Matthijs de Ligt to make his first start for Manchester United. The De Ligt-Martinez combination is worth the wait.
Midfielder
The duo of Casemiro and Kobbie Mainoo are expected to return to the pitch, with the veteran Brazilian having made a good start to the new season, while the young Englishman remains the most valuable option in midfield.
Alejandro Garnacho seems to have struggled to get into the swing of things this season, having not been good enough when he came off the bench against Fulham. Amad Diallo is expected to start again, although his performance has not been too convincing.
There is no doubt that Bruno Fernandes will be deployed in the No. 10 position with Marcus Rashford taking the left-winger role.
Forward
Joshua Zirkzee had an impressive performance off the bench, linking up well with his teammates in the final third and also scoring the only goal as Man Utd beat Fulham. With Rasmus Hojlund sidelined, Zirkzee is the obvious choice.
The Dutch striker has the ability to operate independently well, and he often drops deep to receive the ball, thereby helping Man Utd’s attack become more flexible.
