Manchester United can seal European football with win against Brighton

Manchester United will hope to secure European football when they travel to Brighton on the last day of the Premier League season.

The Red Devils beat Newcastle 3-2 on Wednesday night to move level on points with the Toon, but their goal difference is vastly inferior.

So, Erik ten Hag‘s men must win and hope Brentford take points off the Magpies to guarantee some form of European football.

Of course, should they win the FA Cup, they would take Europa League rather than Europa Conference League football.

Meanwhile, Brighton lost 2-1 to Chelsea and will want to end the season with a win for their home fans.

Roberto De Zerbi‘s men have failed to live up to their displays last year and are in danger of finishing outside of the top ten.

Brighton vs Man United: Race for Europe

Chelsea have now sealed some form of European football for next year, even if they lose on the final day of the season.

So, it is down to Newcastle and Man United for the last place, although the Toon can still finish sixth because of their superior goal difference to Chelsea.

This means Man United are still the outside bet for sealing that seventh spot.

This is because Newcastle simply need to match the Red Devils’ result against Brighton to finish above Ten Hag’s men.

However, the Magpies are likely to be wounded after their defeat at Old Trafford, and Man United will look to take advantage of that.

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• Brighton have won each of their last four Premier League games against Manchester United – the last side to beat the Red Devils in five consecutive league games was Norwich City between 1988 and 1990.
• Manchester United have lost four of their six Premier League away games against Brighton (67%), their highest loss rate away against any side in the competition.
• Brighton have lost their final game in four of their six Premier League campaigns, with the exceptions being a 2-1 win at Burnley (2019-20) and a 3-1 home win v West Ham (2021-22).

Brighton vs Man United: Team news

The Seagulls have been decimated by injuries all year, and this match will be no different.

Solly March, Pervis Estupinan, Evan Ferguson, Kaoru Mitoma, James Milner and Jack Hinshlewood are all out.

Jan Paul van Hecke is struggling with a hamstring problem.

Joel Veltman missed the defeat to Chelsea with a knock, and Lewis Dunk suffered a knee problem in that same match.

Man United have struggled with fitness issues all year as well, but Lisandro Martinez and Marcus Rashford returned from injury in midweek.

Raphael Varane, Mason Mount, Luke Shaw and Harry Maguire are out but Anthony Martial and Victor Lindelof are in contention.

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• Manchester United have lost their final league game in two of the last five seasons (W3), as many times as they had in the previous 33 campaigns (W23 D8).
• Manchester United won 3-2 against Newcastle United last time out, despite facing 21 shots. It was the seventh time this season they’ve won a Premier League game when facing 20+ shots, the joint most on record in a campaign along with Charlton Athletic in 2003-04.
• In their first 19 Premier League matches this season, Brighton were the fifth-highest scorers in the Premier League (38 goals) and had a conversion rate of 13.3%. In their last 18 games since the turn of the year, only Everton (15) have scored fewer goals than the Seagulls (17), with their conversion rate of 6.6% the worst of any side in this time.

Brighton vs Man United: What has been said?

Man United manager Ten Hag was pleased with his side’s display against Newcastle and issues a rallying cry to the fans after the game.

He said: “As you know, it wasn’t an easy season, but one thing remained constant – and that was the backing of you for the team.

“But this season is not over yet. We will travel to Brighton where we go for three points, and then we go to Wembley. And I promise you that the players will give everything to bring a cup to Old Trafford.”

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• Brighton’s Pascal Groß has scored more Premier League goals against Manchester United than he has vs any other side (7). He’s scored in his last three against them in the competition, with only Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink (5), Mohamed Salah (5) and Sergio Agüero (4) netting in more consecutive appearances against the Red Devils.
• Since Boxing Day, Man Utd striker Rasmus Højlund has scored nine goals from just 19 shots in the Premier League, a 47% shot conversion rate. That is the best ratio of any player to attempt 5+ shots in that timeframe.
• Manchester United’s Bruno Fernandes has created 113 chances in the Premier League this season, 14 more than any other player. He also created the most chances last season (119) and is the first player to do so in back-to-back seasons since Eden Hazard in 2013-14 (93) and 2014-15 (100).

Brighton vs Man United: Date and how to follow

This Premier League game will take place on Sunday, May 18.

Kick-off at the Amex is scheduled for 4pm.

talkSPORT will have live coverage of the game via the App.

Commentary will come from Tim Long.

talkSPORT.com will also have a dedicated live blog to keep you across all the action on the final day.

To tune in to talkSPORT through the website, click HERE for the live stream.

You can also listen via the talkSPORT app, on DAB digital radio, through your smart speaker and on 1089 or 1053 AM.