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Brighton’s secure position in the Premier League table is fully justified after Chris Hughton has done a sterling job to keep them organized and tough to beat.
They are however hugely reliant upon results at the Amex as they’ve picked 10 points more there than on their travels, just like last term where they would have finished eighth based on home results only, and dead last in a table of away matches.
They’ve certainly stuck to the pattern against us, with four head-to-head meetings since their promotion yielding two victories for them at the Amex and two defeats when visiting Old Trafford (once in the FA cup).
They did however fail to net in both losses, and in fact they’ve scored just the solitary goal in nine road trips to ‘Big Six’ sides across all competitions.
However, only two of these games saw their hosts put more than two goals past them as they’re rarely embarrassed.
The two exceptions came last term against free-scoring Manchester City and Liverpool and having gone down just 2-0 and 1-0 away versus those two sides respectively this term, it’s possible to see the continued progression they’ve made.
Brighton to score first at 4.65*
Player to watch: Glen Murray
35-year-old striker Glenn Murray has been aging like a fine wine and after netting twice as many goals as the next Brighton player across all competitions last term, he once again leads the scoring charts with double the next best offering.
He’s by no means failed against the better sides with goals against Liverpool and Arsenal last term, as well as the opener versus ourselves back in August this season, and with eight goals in the league already he looks set on course to easily surpass the 12 he managed in the last campaign.
However, with seven of his eight goals coming at the Amex, he’ll require better service into the box in order to thrive.
Glenn Murray to score first at
Strong centre-back partnership
This season, it’s Shane Duffy who is second behind Glenn Murray in the club’s scoring charts, though as useful as the four goals he’s scored are, along with the two contributed by centre-back companion Lewis Dunk (they’ve scored a combined five goals away from home), the two of them have formed a very solid partnership at the back.
The duo both signed new five-year contracts back in October to give the Seagulls a platform on which to build, and so while the visitors should struggle away from the confines of the Amex, we’re not expecting the scoreline to get at all ugly.
United to win and under 2.5 goals at 3.25*
*all odds are subject to change
