Brighton head into Saturday’s Premier League clash with Manchester United top of the table having demolished Everton 3-0 in their opening match of the season. United were far more workmanlike in their first game of the campaign, as they fought out a 1-0 victory over Fulham, but both sides head into the early kick-off in high spirits having picked up three points last time out.
The Seagulls looked impressive under new manager Fabian Hurzeler and are the 6/4 favourites with bet365 to claim a second win on the bounce, while Erik ten Hag’s United are a shade bigger at 7/4 with Betfred, while the draw is available at 11/4 with BoyleSports. It’s set to be an intriguing encounter on the south coast and we pick out our best bets for the match here…
Brighton v Man Utd Tips
Tip #1 – Bruno Fernandes to score first goal @ 9/1 with bet365/Betfair
Manchester United’s lack of a prolific striker has put more pressure on Bruno Fernandes to score the goals and the Portuguese star missed some golden opportunities in last week’s 1-0 win over Fulham. He should’ve put United ahead on two separate occasions and with his ability to score from outside the box then the 9/1 for grab the first goal looks a decent bet.
Brighton improved as the game went on last week, but Everton are pretty dire these days and having shown glimpses early on were completely outclassed by Hurzeler’s men, but in United they will face a sterner test here. It would be no shock to see Matthias De Ligt join Lisandro Martinez in the back four on Saturday and that pair could nullify the Brighton attacks. So, if United can create the same chances for Fernandes in his advance role then he can break the deadlock and send United into the lead.
Tip #2 – James Milner to be shown first card @ 14/1 with William Hill
He may be 38 years old, but James Milner continues to deliver at the highest level and he could prove to be a mainstay of Brighton’s midfield this season. Booked in last weekend’s game, the former Leeds and Liverpool star is always prone to grabbing a yellow as he may just prove vulnerable to some speedier youngsters.
Available at 14/1 with William Hill to be shown the first card in the game, Milner is decent value to pick up as he could have to contend with the likes of the abovementioned Fernandes, Kobbie Mainoo, Marcus Rashford and Amad Diallo, so all four of those will pose a notable attacking threat. Casemiro is unsurprisingly favourite in the first booking market, but it’s Milner that offers decent value in a game that could prove to be a very cagey encounter.
Brighton Performances So Far
We are only one game into the season, but Brighton have shown no ill effects of Roberto De Zerbi leaving as Fabian Hurzeler has continued the excellent work on the south coast. A dominant 3-0 win over Everton has rocketed them to the top of the table and they will be hoping that they can unleash a strong charge for Europe this season and their first win of the season certainly showed they are capable of challenging for the top six.
Brighton Results So Far
Saturday 17th August – Everton 0-3 Brighton
Man Utd Performances So Far
It wasn’t a vintage Manchester United performance, but they got the job done in front of their home fans and a clean sheet would’ve encouraged ten Hag. They only beat Fulham in their first match and will face tougher tests as the season goes on, but they will gain confidence from that late winner and will line up looking to make it six points from two games.
Man Utd Results So Far
Friday 16th August – Man Utd 1-0 Fulham
