Brighton & Hove Albion vs Man United Odds
Brighton Odds | +135 |
Man United Odds | +190 |
| Draw | +250 |
| Over/Under | 2.5 (-150 / +112) |
| Both Teams to Score (Yes/No) | (-180 / +134) |
| Odds via PointsBet. Get the latest soccer odds here. | |
Brighton & Hove Albion take on Manchester United in the FA Cup semifinals with the winner meeting Man City in the final.
The Seagulls have been one of the best teams in the Premier League since Roberto De Zerbi took over and are in a great position in the Premier League to make the top four.
Manchester United crashed out of the Europa League on Thursday in terrible fashion, losing to Sevilla 3-0 on the road. Erik Ten Hag's side is dealing with a lot of injuries in their defense, which has made it difficult for United to play the style they want.
Brighton have beaten Manchester United in their previous two meetings, but can they make it a third on Sunday?
Brighton Firing on All Cylinders
De Zerbi has turned Brighton into an offensive force. Since he took over on October 1st, Brighton are averaging 2.01 xG per 90 minutes, which is the fourth-most in the Premier League during that time.
His style of play is uber-aggressive. De Zerbi demands Brighton play out of the back and when they do they bait their opponent into pressing them high, creating space in the middle. You'll also see them play the ball out to their wingers Kaoru Mitoma and Solly March, who are two of the best ball carriers in the Premier League.
De Zerbi ball đź’™pic.twitter.com/zXpYK9Uhva
— GonçaloDias17 (@goncalo_diass17) April 18, 2023
Brighton are top four in the Premier League in shots per 90 minutes, box entries, final third entries and progressive passes + dribbles. This is one of the best offenses in England and they're a good defensive team as well. Brighton counter press just as well as some of the elites in the Premier League like Manchester City and Arsenal, allowing them to sustain 90 minutes of pressure.
Man United Reeling in Key Time
Manchester United were very poor against Sevilla on Thursday and it was very evident that not having Lisandro Martinez and Raphael Varane available had a big impact
It's not because they are vastly superior defenders to that of Harry Maguire and Victor Lindelof, but rather their ability as ball carriers operating with poise against a high press. United tried to build out of the back against Sevilla, but Maguire turned the ball over trying to build up and that is what led to the first goal. It also doesn't help that David de Gea is one of the worst goalkeepers in the Premier League with the ball at his feet.
What Manchester United are going to have to do is something that they've done against bigger sides this season, which is play extremely direct and concede a lot of possession. That can work against Brighton, but it's going to require United to be deadly on the counter while also maintaining their defensive structure. In these types of scenarios with Casemiro in the lineup they've been very good at closing off the middle of the pitch and defending in wide areas. It's going to come down to how well Lindelof and Maguire are in the middle of that back line.
Brighton vs Man United Pick
With all of the injuries mounting for Manchester United in their back line that now hamper their ability to play out of the back, Brighton will be licking their chops. The Seagulls are likely going to hold a majority of the possession, and it just comes down to how good they are at breaking down a low block.
Given the fact that Manchester United are down their best two center backs and have been extremely poor away from Old Trafford against good opponents, I love Brighton in this matchup at +135.
