Premier League: United Plan to Make it Three Straight Under Ralf Rangnick

Manchester United vs Brighton & Hove Albion

The Red Devils aim to maintain their flawless run under the Ralf Rangnick era as they’re set to host the Seagulls at Old Trafford this weekend.

Manchester United’s Premier League game against Brentford was called off due to a COVID-19 outbreak. And similar to the game between Leicester City and Tottenham in which I previously previewed here at SBOTOP, the status of this game remains cloudy as of this writing.

But assuming this fixture will push through, football fans can expect nothing less from these two since both have goals to achieve this season.

Ralf Rangnick said before that they’ll try to make the best out of this campaign after seeing his Red Devils fall down to the fifth spot, and they can move up to as high as fourth if they’ll win in this upcoming match.

Meanwhile, the Seagulls will look to get back on the winning track since they’ve slumped to 12^th after a hot start to this season. However, it’ll be easier said than done given their lacklustre record at Old Trafford.

Talking Points

Manchester United are establishing an identity under Rangnick

Rangnick’s emphasis of playing a proactive style of football has been evident in his first few games at the helm for United, and it’s just a matter of time to where they’ll hit their peak.

Despite their unspectacular 1-0 wins over Crystal Palace and Norwich City, the important thing for the Red Devils is that they’ve finally secured clean sheets after conceding so many goals to start this campaign.

The Portuguese trio of Cristiano Ronaldo, Bruno Fernandes, and Diogo Dalot has thrived under Rangnick’s 4-2-2-2 formation – although it’s still a work in progress – while Fred and Scott McTominay have shown improvement at the holding midfield positions.

David de Gea remains at his best form as he continues to save goals at a high rate, which says a lot about their backline that continues to be their weaker area.

Speaking of their backline, United’s centre-back depth is compromised after Victor Lindelof’s health scare against Norwich City. With the Swede and Raphael Varane on the mend, Eric Bailly is in line to start alongside Harry Maguire.

Like most teams in England, United have had their share of COVID-19 cases within their camp and we’ll have to wait and see on how their full starting XI would look like this Saturday.  

Too many draws for Brighton

Graham Potter’s men took everyone by surprise when they started out strong this season with a top-four spot, but the law of averages has finally caught up to them.

Despite getting at least one point in most of their fixtures, the Seagulls’ Premier League 2021 results leave a lot to be desired since they’ve yet to win a game since September.

The Seagulls’ can break their winless drought in their match later, but they’ll find it hard to breach the Wolves’ compact defence – which has only conceded two goals in the last five games.

Brighton are to be led once more by Neal Maupay who is their leading scorer with six goals. He was clutch in their previous match against Southampton where he bailed the Seagulls out with a late equaliser.

Leo Trossard, Lewis Dunk, Adam Webster, and Adam Lallana are all dealing with knocks, so we expect Graham Potter to rotate his squad accordingly.

History

Manchester United have had Brighton’s number in the overall head-to-heads. In their last 10 meetings together, the Red Devils have won eight times while the Seagulls have won the other two.

Their most recent encounter took place in April where Manchester United came away with a 2-1 victory as Marcus Rashford and Mason Greenwood completed their comeback by scoring one goal apiece to nullify Danny Welbeck’s 13^th-minute goal.

Brighton are winless away from home against Manchester United in 13 attempts in all competitions (D2, L11). The Seagulls’ previous win over the Red Devils was a 3-2 scoreline back in August 2018.

Betting Tip 

	Manchester United vs Brighton & Hove Albion	Under 2.75 @ 1.78
	December 18, 20:30 (GMT+8)

The Premier League 2021 odds have Manchester United as the clear favourites to win in this fixture.

Given the Red Devils’ superiority over the Seagulls, we’re not surprised that they are installed at 1.54, while Brighton are at 5.20 and a draw is priced at 3.95 in the 1X2 market.

Both teams are capable of scoring in bunches. But that hasn’t been the case lately so we’re recommending to go for Under 2.50 @ 2.15.

Ralf Rangnick loves his clean sheets. And if this means another 1-0 victory for his Red Devils, he’d be more than happy to take it.

 

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