Manchester United vs. Brighton: Team News, Preview, Live Stream, TV Info
Keeping up with neighbours Manchester City in the Premier League title race will be Manchester United's priority when they host Brighton & Hove Albion at Old Trafford on Saturday.
United are eight points adrift of City but put their title challenge back on track last week when they swept aside Newcastle United 4-1 at home. The return from injury of midfield talisman Paul Pogba proved the catalyst for the Red Devils' impressive win.
Brighton may not be bowled over as easily, though. The Seagulls are on an impressive run of their own, having not lost in five, a sequence extended by the 2-2 draw with Stoke City last time out.
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Here are the schedule and viewing details before a preview and look at the team news:
Date: Saturday, November 25
Time: 3 p.m. GMT/10 a.m. ET.
TV Info: NBCSN.
Live Stream: NBC Sports App. fubo Premier.
Preview
The balance of United's midfield will again prove key. Manager Jose Mourinho needs to surround Pogba with the right players.
Against the Magpies, that meant having Nemanja Matic behind the France international as a holding player, while Juan Mata played further forward. The latter's inclusion came at the expense of Henrikh Mkhitaryan, a natural No. 10 who wasn't even included in the matchday squad against Newcastle despite a strong start to the season.
Mourinho said leaving Mkhitaryan out was more about United's other options in midfield, per Michael Kelleher of Sky Sports: "In this moment, we have Pogba, Marouane Fellaini, Ander Herrera, Nemanja Matic and Scott McTominay."
Mkhitaryan may be overlooked again after also missing out on a place in the squad for United's 1-0 loss to FC Basel in the UEFA Champions League on Wednesday.
One creative midfielder sure to start is Brighton's Pascal Gross. The German got on the scoresheet against Stoke to continue his remarkable start to life in England's top flight.
Sky Sports Statto detailed how influential Gross has been in the final third:
Keeping Gross quiet will demand a lot from defensively aware Matic. United's back four will need the Serbia international to be in top form in front of them if they are still dealing with the absence of Phil Jones.
The England international suffered a thigh injury during an international friendly against Germany on November 10. Jones reportedly received as many as six painkilling injections before the match, a detail Mourinho said he was not informed about, per Sky Sports.
If Jones is unavailable again, Chris Smalling could continue alongside summer signing Victor Lindelof at the heart of defence. However, Marcos Rojo may be a more realistic option after his return from injury against Basel.
Mourinho was impressed with Rojo and hinted the Argentina international could be a key figure moving forward, per Samuel Luckhurst of the Manchester Evening News:
As for United's attack, it will be interesting to see if Mourinho hands a start to veteran Zlatan Ibrahimovic. Like Pogba, the 36-year-old made his return from injury against Newcastle, albeit in a late and brief cameo off the bench.
Ibrahimovic, who has returned ahead of schedule from a cruciate ligament injury, also came off the bench during the defeat in Basel.
United are looking strong again now they have their key players in midfield and up front back fit. Brighton have proved stubborn opponents this season, but it may be too much to ask for them to get a result against Mourinho's title-chasers at Old Trafford.
