Overview
Brighton enters the final round of the Premier League 2025-2026 with a series of important goals, from the race for European cup tickets to the slim hope of participating in the Champions League next season.
Fabian Hurzeler's team is currently ranked seventh in the standings - a position qualified to participate in the Europa League group stage - and only one point ahead of Chelsea, who are ranked eighth. Chelsea currently only has a place in the Conference League play-offs.
However, the competition is still extremely tense as Brighton is only one point ahead of Brentford in ninth place. This means "The Seagulls" are completely at risk of being knocked out of the European Cup group if they stumble in the final round.
Not stopping there, Brighton still has a chance to squeeze into the top 6. They are currently three points behind Bournemouth, and sixth place could become a Champions League spot if Aston Villa finishes the season in fifth place.
However, Brighton's recent form is not really stable. The Amex home team just suffered a 0-1 defeat to Leeds United and has lost two of the last three rounds in the Premier League.
Head-to-head history brings confidence to the southern English team. Brighton has won seven of their last 10 encounters with Man United in all competitions, including a 2-1 victory in the third round of the FA Cup in January.
On the opposite side, Manchester United has just officially appointed Michael Carrick as head coach under a contract lasting until the summer of 2028. The 44-year-old strategist has been given confidence after an impressive interim period since replacing Ruben Amorim in January.
Under Carrick's leadership, Man United won 11 out of 16 matches in the Premier League and have secured a third-place finish in the season. This helped the "Red Devils" enter the away match at Amex Stadium with a fairly comfortable mentality.
The Old Trafford team just defeated Nottingham Forest 3-2 and has won 4 of their last 5 Premier League matches. However, their most recent away match was only a 0-0 draw against Sunderland on May 9.
After winning a ticket back to the Champions League in the 2026-2027 season, Carrick will face bigger challenges next season in the role of official coach.
Man United currently also has the fourth best away record in the Premier League this season when they won 26 points after 18 matches, only losing 4 away matches.
Personnel situation
Brighton will be without Stefanos Tzimas and Adam Webster due to knee injuries, while Kaoru Mitoma continues to be absent due to a thigh problem before welcoming Man United. Mats Wieffer's ability to play is also still uncertain due to an ankle injury.
Fabian Hurzeler is unlikely to make too many changes compared to the match against Leeds United. Danny Welbeck is expected to continue to start in attack in the confrontation with his old team.
On the opposite side, Man United has not yet had the return of Matthijs de Ligt due to a back injury. Striker Benjamin Sesko is also continuing to be absent due to a problem in his tibia, the reason why he missed the last 2 matches.
Casemiro played his last match for Man United in the victory over Nottingham Forest and will not participate this weekend. This could open up a starting opportunity for Mason Mount in midfield.
Expected lineup:
Verbruggen, Veltman, Van Hecke, Dunk, Cuyper, Hinshelwood, Baleba, Gross, Minteh, Welbeck, Kadioglu.
Man United: Lammens, Dalot, Maguire, Martinez, Shaw, Mainoo, Mount, Amad, Fernandes, Cunha, Mbeumo.
The match between Brighton and Man United takes place at 10:00 PM on May 24th (Vietnam time).
