Brighton v Manchester United: Premier League predictions & free tips

Free football tips, best bets and analysis for Brighton v Manchester United in the Premier League on Saturday.

Where to watch

BT Sport 1, 12.30pm Saturday

Best bet

Brighton or draw double chance
1pt 11-10 Sky Bet

Team news

Brighton
Yves Bissouma is serving the second game of a three-match suspension but Adam Lallana (calf) came off the bench in the 3-0 win at Newcastle last Sunday.

Manchester United
Axel Tuanzebe (foot) and Phil Jones (knee) remain sidelined.

Match preview

Manchester United looked well off the pace when losing 3-1 at home to Crystal Palace last Saturday and their poor start to the Premier League season could continue with a failure to defeat Brighton at the Amex.

There had been hopes that United would build on their strong finish to last season – they went unbeaten for 14 league games – and offer a sterner challenge to Liverpool and Manchester City.

But they were disjointed and lethargic against the Eagles and are under pressure to get some points on the board before a tough-looking October schedule featuring home matches against Tottenham, Chelsea and Arsenal.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer made ten changes for Tuesday's EFL Cup third-round tie at Luton and watched his team get back to winning ways with a 3-0 success.

But there were as many positives as negatives on the night with United toiling for long periods against a Sky Bet Championship side who had made nine changes from their previous match.

Luton trailed to Juan Mata's first-half penalty but came on strong in the second half and United keeper Dean Henderson had to make a superb save from Tom Lockyer's header before the tie was settled by late goals from Marcus Rashford and Mason Greenwood.

Once again there was evidence that United players were a long way short of peak fitness and any lack of sharpness is far more likely to be punished by Brighton, who have started the season impressively.

The Seagulls put in a decent performance in a 3-1 loss at home to Chelsea, winning the shot count 13-10, and responded with a 3-0 victory at Newcastle last Sunday.

Right wing-back Tariq Lamptey was outstanding in the success at St James' Park and looks an absolute bargain, having switched from Chelsea to Brighton for just £4 million.

Brighton also carry a threat with forwards Aaron Connolly and Neal Maupay offering decent pace and movement.

There is depth to the Albion squad, allowing them to register EFL Cup victories at home to Portsmouth (4-0) and away to Preston (2-0) despite Graham Potter making 11 changes on both occasions.

The ingredients are in place for Brighton to have a decent season in the league and the knockout competitions - they host United again in the EFL Cup fourth round next week - and they look overpriced to avoid defeat against an unconvincing Red Devils outfit who look more likely to drop out of the top four than join the race for the title.

Key stat

Brighton have lost only one of their last seven matches.

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