Fabian Hürzeler unleashes a revamped Seagulls lineup at Old Trafford, handed starts to four debutants and midfield talisman Matt O’Riley to test United’s defensive resolve.
Brighton and Hove Albion kickstart their Carabao Cup competition with a big game against Manchester United at Old Trafford this evening.
A rotated team has been expected, and it has mostly come true. Four full debuts and a shock return of a familiar face in the starting 11.
The Seagulls have handed out four full debuts to Jaouen Hadjam, Costinha, Pascal Struijk, and Chema Andrés. Matt O'Riley and Jason Steele have also been given the nod to start.
Out go Bart Verbruggen, Ferdi Kadioglu, Lewis Dunk, Yasin Ayari, Maxim De Cuyper, and Diego Gomez.
Teams in fulll...
In full, the team for the Seagulls reads...
GK: Steele
RB: Costinha
CB: Vuskovic
CB: Struijk
LB: Boscagli
CM: Chema
CM: Groß
AM: Yalcouyé
FW: O'Riley
ST: Kostoulas
FW: Hadjam
Meanwhile, United have a fairly strong side too, albeit with a second-choice goalkeeper.
GK: Darlow
RB: Dalot
CB: Yoro
CB: Heaven
LB: Mazraoui
CM: Santos
CM: Tielemans
AM: Mount
RW: Lacey
LW: Rashford
ST: Sesko
Albion could cause problems, especially in the midfield, for the likes of Tielemans, Santos, and Mount. The sheer relentlessness of Albion's running should be enough to see a result over the line.
No Lewis Dunk after his world-class strike against Coventry at the weekend, as he is rested with Arsenal in mind this weekend.
Players like Yalcouyé will have a big opportunity to take advantage of the United frailties in and out of possession.
O'Riley is the surprise inclusion, and depending on where he starts, it could be interesting. We know that he is capable of scoring goals, as we have seen during pre-season and during his time at Celtic. O'Riley could either start wide or centrally, with Yalcouyé wide instead of him.
The joy of Hürzeler's modern system is the fluidity in positions for players who are intelligent and capable enough to cover multiple positions on the pitch.
It could be a good opportunity for Hadjam to step up in forward areas, along with the evergreen passer in Chema Andres.
It would be impossible to write about Albion's teams against United at Old Trafford without mentioning Groß. The German has scored seven goals against the Red Devils, all of which came in the Premier League.
It'll be fun to see a full debut for Struijk alongside Vuskovic; it will be intriguing against the giant in Sesko. Both Struijk and Vuskovic are known for their aerial-winning ability, especially the Croatian wonderkid, who once won 18 aerial duels in a single game, which became a Bundesliga record while on loan at Hamburg.
Up the Albion!
