- 1 Manchester United vs Brighton & Hove Albion: two goals conceded in every league game, a 50-year streak
- 2 Manchester United: nine wins from ten at Old Trafford, but a back line that still leaks
- 3 Brighton & Hove Albion: the league’s top scorers and four shipped at Chelsea
- 4 Football Prediction Manchester United vs Brighton & Hove Albion
- 5 First, a word on our free picks
- 6 No commitment from us
- 7 Information that changes
- 8 Your role
- 9 Responsible gambling first
- 10 Legal age
- 11 About the images…
Manchester United vs Brighton & Hove Albion: two goals conceded in every league game, a 50-year streak 
Manchester United have conceded two goals in each of their first three Premier League matches. The club had only done that once in the past 50 years, in 2020-2021.
The Red Devils host Brighton at Old Trafford on Wednesday 16 September, with kick-off at 21:00 CEST. The third round of the EFL Cup is a one-off tie.
The draw for the fourth round is set to take place straight after. It will come during the broadcast, around 23:15 CEST.
The fixture carries extra spice three weeks after a major move. Carlos Baleba left Brighton for Manchester United for around L70 million, on a contract running until June 2031.
The Cameroon midfielder will not be in the spotlight on Wednesday, though. An ankle injury has kept him out.
Manchester United arrive with just four points from four league games. They did steady themselves in Europe with a 4-0 win over Sabah, but last weekend’s derby defeat to City (0-1) will still sting.
Brighton, by contrast, have gone the other way going forward. The Seagulls boast the best attack in the Premier League after three rounds.
So two teams who score plenty and concede plenty meet in a knockout setting. A cagey affair doesn’t sit well with either side’s numbers.
The 4-0 demolition of Aston Villa on the opening weekend remains Brighton’s benchmark in attack. Villa answered in the days that followed by tabling a 70 million euros bid for Nicolas Jackson.
Chelsea were 3-0 up after half an hour against the same Seagulls at Stamford Bridge. It still ended 4-3 to the London side.
Manchester United: nine wins from ten at Old Trafford, but a back line that still leaks 
Manchester United opened their league season with a 2-0 defeat at Hull City. The promoted side produced the most surprising result of the opening round.
The club then put Ipswich Town to the sword 5-2 at Old Trafford. That remains their only Premier League win so far.
The trip to Everton finished 2-2, against a side that had only 18 senior professionals in its squad. Ainsley Maitland-Niles equalised for the Toffees.
Champions League football offered some relief last Thursday. The 4-0 win over Sabah brought United’s first clean sheet of the season and a third straight game with multiple goals scored.
With a man advantage for more than an hour against Man City, the Red Devils still could not avoid defeat to their old enemy (0-1).
Michael Carrick is leaning on a strong home record since his return. Nine wins from ten Premier League matches at Old Trafford in this second spell.
The treatment room is still busy heading into this cup tie. Carlos Baleba (ankle), Matthijs de Ligt (back), Manuel Ugarte (knee), Tom Heaton (hamstring) and Amad Diallo (ankle) are all out.
Summer 2026 recruitment was built around midfield. Baleba arrived from Brighton after Andrey Santos, signed from Chelsea, and Youri Tielemans, who came in from Aston Villa.
The 5-2 win over Ipswich Town sparked a real scoring run. Manchester United have now scored at least twice in each of their last three matches in all competitions.
Luke Shaw should return to the squad after a minor cramp picked up at Everton. The left-back was closing in on his 300th Premier League appearance.
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Brighton & Hove Albion: the league’s top scorers and four shipped at Chelsea 
Brighton thrashed Aston Villa 4-0 on the opening weekend of the Premier League. All four goals came inside the first half-hour.
The following week brought the exact opposite at Stamford Bridge. The Seagulls shipped four and lost 4-3 to Chelsea.
Those two games sum up this side neatly. Brighton have the league’s best attack and a defence that starts wobbling as soon as the tempo rises.
The club strengthened on deadline day with two signings. Femi Azeez arrived from Millwall and Chema Andres from Stuttgart, with Opta Analyst ranking both among the seven best Premier League deals of deadline day.
The injury list, however, is making Fabian Huerzeler’s job harder. The Seagulls have been working with a shrunken squad for several weeks.
The schedule piles on another problem. Brighton were away to Coventry City on Sunday 13 September, just three days before this cup tie.
Conference League duty only adds to a packed calendar. Rotation is a necessity here, not a luxury, for the German coach.
The 4-3 at Stamford Bridge showed this team’s resilience above all else. Brighton scored three times after going 3-0 down.
The summer window added bodies without fixing the structural imbalance. The attack remains the best in the division, the defence the main weak spot.
Likely Manchester United line-up: Not available at time of publication.
Likely Brighton & Hove Albion line-up: Not available at time of publication.
Football Prediction Manchester United vs Brighton & Hove Albion
Our pick: both teams to score
Manchester United have conceded exactly two goals in each of their three Premier League games. None of those matches broke the pattern.
Brighton have the best attack in the league after scoring four against Aston Villa and three at Stamford Bridge. The Red Devils, for their part, have scored at least twice in each of their last three games in all competitions.
Both defences have shown the same flaws over the same stretch, and a one-off tie gives nobody much room to play it safe. Both teams to score at Old Trafford looks the play.
Brighton scored three times at Stamford Bridge even when the game seemed gone. This side finds the net even when the script is against it.
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