Manchester United welcome Brighton & Hove Albion to Old Trafford in the Premier League this weekend in search of a much-needed win.
Manchester United currently sit 11th in the Premier League with two wins and two losses from their first four league games of the season.
Erik ten Hag's men kicked off with a narrow 1-0 win over Wolverhampton Wanderers on the opening game week before losing 2-0 to Tottenham Hotspur followed by a 3-2 win over Nottingham Forest and a 3-1 loss away at Arsenal.
The Red Devils have started the season in extremely mediocre fashion with every performance thus far largely unconvincing.
Ironically, though, the 3-1 defeat at the Emirates - United's last game - may have been their most impressive performance after defending resolutely and deploying an effective counterattacking game plan that nearly won them the share of the spoils had Alejandro Garnacho not been centimetres offside before slotting the ball beyond Aaron Ramsdale.
Still, it was hardly a vintage performance and United will have to improve lightyears if they are to achieve anything notable this season.
The club have been rocked by a number of off-field incidents this past week with £100m investment Antony suspended by the club amidst accusations of sexual assault while Jason Sancho has caused a great upheaval by publicly rebuking comments made by the manager regarding his commitment in training.
Thus, it now looks like both will be unavailable for selection for the near future and with an already injury-hit squad Erik ten Hag is going to have a rough time over the next couple of months.
There are, however, a few consolatory factors that should offer cause for optimism such as new signing Rasmus Højlund's brief cameo at the Emirates with the Dane having looked a handful after coming on for his debut so United will have to hope he can hit the ground running in terms of goals to help ease the strain of a potentially tricky period in store.
Additionally, midfielder Sofyan Amrabat could have a big part to play in the near future with the Moroccan a potential antidote to United's midfield woes.
The period of turmoil that currently has Manchester United in its grip has the potential to derail a season that is already looking precarious so the next couple of months will have to be managed meticulously. This is a hugely tricky fixture for The Red Devils at an unfortunate time.
Brighton & Hove Albion currently sit 6th in the Premier League with three wins and one loss from their first four games of the season.
The Seagulls began with a 4-1 win over Luton Town on the opening weekend before beating Wolves by the same scoreline followed by a shock 1-3 defeat at home to West Ham United.
Roberto De Zerbi's men quickly made amends with a 3-1 win over Newcastle United last time out to secure what has been an impressive start to the campaign.
Brighton pretty much look exactly as most thought they would: an excellently coached and brilliantly well-balanced team that can beat most sides in the division on their day.
This season really looks as though it'll be business as usual for Brighton and fans should be excited about what they can achieve.
Teenage sensation Evan Ferguson netted a hat-trick against Newcastle and he could have a huge part to play this season as he goes from strength to strength in blue and white stripes.
Brighton won this fixture twice in the league last season and given the current form of both sides they'll be confident of securing a third straight league win over Erik ten Hag's side.
For our Manchester United vs. Brighton prediction, we're going for a 1-1 draw.
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