Brighton vs Manchester United verdict, predicted score, key stats and suggested bets
- Seb Sternik
- 22 April 2023
Brighton will be looking to make Manchester United’s week even more miserable as they target their first FA Cup final in 40 years.
Man United were dumped out of the Europa League by Sevilla on Thursday and will need to bounce back quickly for Sunday's FA Cup semi-final against Brighton.
Date, KO time and TV coverage
FA Cup, Sunday April 23, Kick-off 4.30pm, BBC 1
Predicted score
Suggested bets
Brighton to win and both teams to score
Brighton to score the last goal
Time of the first goal - under 30 minutes
Key stats
Brighton have won the last two meetings between the sides.
Brighton have lost just one of their last nine games.
Manchester United have won just two of their last six away games.
Manchester United beat Newcastle in the Carabao Cup final on their last visit to Wembley.
Team news
Both teams enter Sunday's semi-final with a number of players on the sidelines.
Brighton will be without Evan Ferguson, Adam Lallana, Tariq Lamptey, Jeremy Sarmiento and Joel Veltman. There are also question marks over Jason Steele, who has suffered a slight knock.
United, meanwhile, are without Alejandro Garnacho, Lisandro Martinez, Raphael Varane and Donny van de Beek. Scott McTominay is also a doubt.
Verdict
Manchester United's hopes of a treble winning season were extinguished on Thursday night after Erik ten Hag's men capitulated against Sevilla in the Europa League quarter-final.
United were utterly humiliated as they barely laid a glove on the Spanish outfit, who powered to a 3-0 win on the night.
The Red Devils have already won the Carabao Cup this season and they were intent on adding the Europa League and FA Cup crowns to that collection this summer.
Instead, Ten Hag's men are now left with the prospect of a domestic double as they prepare to take on Brighton in Sunday's semi-final at Wembley.
United's defeat on Thursday was just their second loss in 10 games, although many of their performances have come under question in recent months.
Since March, there have been a number of games in which the Red Devils fell well short of their expected standards.
For instance, the thrashing at Liverpool, the goalless draw with Southampton, the laboured win over Fulham in the FA Cup, the defeat at Newcastle and now the two dreadful legs against Sevilla.
Brighton will have certainly taken a lot of encouragement from watching Thursday's encounter as they look to bag a spot in their first FA Cup final since 1983.
Roberto De Zerbi's men are in good form having lost just one of their last nine games - a run which includes six victories.
Brighton picked up a 2-1 win over Chelsea at Stamford Bridge last weekend as they moved within seven points of the top four.
Looking at their current trajectory, the Seagulls could make club history on two fronts as they look to secure European qualification for the first time as well as a maiden FA Cup title.
Brighton have out-scored United in the Premier League this season and they will fancy their chances at Wembley.
The Seagulls have won their last two meetings against the Red Devils - including a 4-0 demolition last May.
Bearing everything in mind, our recommendation is to back Brighton in the outright market. Another bet to watch out for is a Brighton win and both teams to score.
