The Erik ten Hag era officially kicks off at Old Trafford on Sunday, with Brighton & Hove Albion making the trip up from the South coast.
It is Manchester United’s first competitive fixture under their new manager as they look to rebuild under his command this upcoming season.
Here is a look at both United’s and Brighton’s form leading into Sunday’s clash at Old Trafford.
Manchester United
United’s pre-season has yielded good results overall. Erik ten Hag’s side kicked off the tour to Thailand and Australia with a 4-0 win against Liverpool in Bangkok.
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They then travelled to Melbourne, where they comfortably dispatched Melbourne Victory 4-1, before beating Crystal Palace 3-1. Anthony Martial got himself on the scoresheet in each of these three games.
United also played one game in Perth, where they drew 2-2 against Aston Villa at the death. Jadon Sancho was on the scoresheet for United, to score what was his third goal of the tour.
Last Wednesday, United played National League side Wrexham in a behind-closed-doors friendly at Carrington. New signings Lisandro Martínez and Christian Eriksen both featured, with Eriksen bagging in a 4-1 win.
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On Saturday and Sunday, United played their final friendlies, losing 1-0 to Atlético Madrid in Oslo before rounding out pre-season with a 1-1 draw against Rayo Vallecano at Old Trafford.
Brighton & Hove Albion
United will be looking for revenge against Brighton, who ran out 4-0 winners last time the two sides faced each other.
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The Seagulls had a fairly strong pre-season campaign, opening with a 0-0 draw against Belgian side Royale Union Saint-Gilloise.
They won their next two games, triumphing 4-1 against Portuguese side Estoril Praia before beating Reading 2-1.
They narrowly lost their next game against fellow Premier League side Brentford, losing 1-0 to a 78th minute Ivan Toney goal.
But they bounced back to finish their pre-season campaign on a high, rioting their way to a 5-1 victory over La Liga’s Espanyol on Saturday, talisman Leandro Trossard scoring a hat-trick.
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All in all, Brighton’s pre-season campaign saw them win three, draw and lose once each, score 11 and concede three.
They will provide a stern test for Ten Hag’s men, but United will be confident that they can kick off the new season with a victory.
Topics: Manchester United, Brighton And Hove Albion, Erik Ten Hag, Anthony Martial
Yusuf Haq