Manchester United play host to Brighton & Hove Albion at Old Trafford on Saturday afternoon for a chance to climb into the top half of the Premier League table. While the Red Devils are languishing in 11th place at this early stage of the campaign, the Seagulls are sitting in the top six and just three points behind leaders Manchester City. The Red devils suffered at the hands of rivals Arsenal, who put them to the sword for a 3-1 loss in dramatic circumstances two weeks ago. The Red Devils appeared to be holding on for a point at the Emirates Stadium until Declan Rice and Gabriel Jesus netted in the 96th and 101st minutes to claim all three points at the death. Meanwhile, the Seagulls soared to a statement 3-1 victory at home against Newcastle United before the international break, with teenage sensation Evan Feguson netting his first Premier League hat-trick. I am expecting a win or a draw for Brighton for the following reasons:

Firstly. Manchester United's off-field issues have enveloped them and they need to look past those distractions as they welcome the Seagulls to the Theatre of Dreams this weekend. The ongoing investigation on Antony, the Jadon Sancho situation and the club takeover process being in limbo have considerably hampered the good feeling around the club. They have also got some important players out injured like Luke Shaw, Lisandro Martinez, Varane. They have won two and lost two of their opening four league games. They are yet to lose any game at home though, so it may not be that easy for Brighton to get a win at the Old Trafford.

Secondly. Brighton & Hove Albion have enjoyed a strong start to the new season. Barring a 3-1 loss to West Ham United on August 26, the Seagulls have done exceptionally well and picked up three wins and have the best attacking record in the league (12 goals). Brighton were also joint-top scorers away from home in the Premier League last season, netting 35 times on enemy territory. Roberto de Zerbi's team play an aggressive and attractive style of football and they are expected to take the game to a rattled Manchester United this Saturday. The Seagulls won this exact fixture last season and have triumphed in the last three league meetings with United, scoring six goals in the process.

While Erik Ten Haag´s side have struggled for consistency on their travels, the Red Devils remain unbeaten in their last 20 home PL matches. However, the last team to win at this venue was Brighton, some 13 months ago. Given their strong PL record against United over the past 18 months, I fancy Brighton to take at least a point in what should be a competitive game. I expect a win or a draw for Brighton.

周六下午，曼联将在老特拉福德主场迎战布莱顿和霍夫阿尔比恩，争夺进入英超积分榜上半区的机会。虽然红魔在赛季初期仅排在第11位，但海鸥队仍排在前六，仅落后领头羊曼城3分。红魔遭受了对手阿森纳的打击，两周前，阿森纳在戏剧性的情况下以3-1输掉了比赛。红魔似乎在酋长球场守住了一分，直到迪克兰·赖斯和加布里埃尔·热苏斯分别在第96分钟和第101分钟进球，在比赛结束前拿到了全部三分。与此同时，在国际比赛日之前，海鸥队在主场以3-1大胜纽卡斯尔联队，青少年明星埃文·弗格森上演了他的第一个英超帽子戏法。我希望布莱顿能赢或平，原因如下:

首先。曼联的场外问题已经包围了他们，他们需要把这些分散注意力的事情抛到脑后，在本周末欢迎海鸥来到梦剧场。正在进行的对安东尼的调查，桑乔的情况和俱乐部的收购过程都处于不确定状态，这些都严重影响了俱乐部的良好气氛。他们也有一些重要的球员受伤了，比如卢克·肖，利桑德罗·马丁内斯，瓦拉内。他们在开始的四场联赛中取得了两胜两负的战绩。他们还没有在主场输过一场比赛，所以对布莱顿来说，在老特拉福德取得一场胜利可能并不容易。

其次。布莱顿和霍夫在新赛季开局不错。除了8月26日1 - 3负于西汉姆联之外，海鸥队表现异常出色，取得了3场胜利，并且拥有联赛最佳的进攻记录(12球)。布莱顿也是上赛季英超客场射手榜上的第一名，在客场打进35球。罗伯托·德泽比的球队踢出了一种充满侵略性和吸引力的足球风格，他们有望在本周六与慌乱的曼联进行比赛。上个赛季，海鸥赢得了这场比赛，并且在最近三次与曼联的联赛交锋中取得了胜利，在这个过程中打进了6球。

虽然埃里克·滕哈格的球队在客场比赛中表现不稳定，但红魔在最近的20场主场比赛中保持不败。然而，上一支在这里获胜的球队是布莱顿，大约13个月前。考虑到他们过去18个月在英超对阵曼联的强劲战绩，我认为布莱顿在这场竞争激烈的比赛中至少能拿到一分。我希望布莱顿能赢或平。