Man United need to win for many reasons
Except for Man City and Liverpool, the Top 4 race this season will be a competition between Man United, Chelsea, Tottenham and Arsenal. All 3 direct competitors had 3 points on the opening day, the pressure on the "Red Devils" was quite large. If we look at the scenario in recent seasons, the races are very fierce and sometimes only a few points ahead of each other to decide everything. Therefore, the pressure on Ten Hag's team could be felt right from this first match.
In addition to having to win for points, Man United has many other pressures. First is Ten Hag himself, this strategist is receiving a lot of attention in the pre-season.
All the friendly matches have ended but M.U has not shown a truly stable face. Although he is a rookie in the Premier League, Ten Hag was not allowed much time to get acquainted and was forced to adapt immediately.
M.U last season lost 0-4 to Brighton in the second leg of the Premier League, which was the most humiliating defeat in the club's history. Back in the 2022-2023 season, when M.U had set a goal of getting a ticket back to the Champions League, they not only needed to beat Brighton by points, but a crushing performance to win the Champions League was also necessary.
Returning to Ten Hag, how many points he can score in the eyes of critics in this match depends largely on the effectiveness of the stars on the pitch, especially the new recruits. Up to now, Christian Eriksen, Tyrell Malacia and Lisandro Martinez have integrated quite quickly and confidently. If these stars are allowed to enter the field tonight, it is not surprising.
Finally, Ronaldo, if he cannot leave Old Trafford this Summer, CR7 is forced to choose to stay and strive even harder to win back the ticket to the arena he still wants. In the match against Rayo Vallecano, Ronaldo did not play as expected and was substituted early. This time, in the official match, CR7 needs to prove their professionalism and value immediately if they are allowed to play.
Brighton is not simple
After 5 pre-season friendlies, Brighton have shown their positivity with 3 wins, 1 draw and only 1 loss. The "Seagulls" will rely on the psychological advantage with the 4-0 victory last season to prepare for Old Trafford tonight.
In contrast to Man United, the visiting Brighton team will only be without Jakub Moder due to injury in this match. It is expected that at Old Trafford, Brighton will play a fiery match tonight like Fulham against Liverpool.
The match between Man United and Brighton will take place at 8:00 p.m. on August 7 (Vietnam time), live on K+.
