Manchester United will be aiming to bounce back from their recent domestic struggles when they host Brighton & Hove Albion in the Carabao Cup on Wednesday evening.

United have won just one of their first four Premier League matches this season, with their only victory coming in a 5-2 win against Ipswich Town. A late draw with Everton, combined with defeats to Hull City and Man City, means Michael Carrick's side currently sit 13th in the table with four points.

There is also recent cup disappointment for United to overcome. Their previous Carabao Cup campaign ended with a penalty shootout defeat to League Two side Grimsby Town, while Brighton knocked the Reds out of last season's FA Cup earlier this year.

United did enjoy a convincing 4-0 Champions League victory over Sabah FK less than a week ago, but that result has done little to completely ease the concerns surrounding the club. As a result, Wednesday's clash with Brighton carries significant importance for Carrick and his players.

A victory would give United the chance to progress in the competition while potentially providing a much-needed boost in confidence. Another early cup exit, however, coupled with consecutive defeats at Old Trafford, would leave Carrick facing increased scrutiny as United look to turn their season around.

United's controversial defeat against City was a major blow to the moral inside Old Trafford, and with Carabao Cup football offering a quick midweek fix, Carrick could look to make as many as nine starting XI changes for Wednesday evening.

One of these may come in goal. Senne Lammens has played every fixture since making his debut in October 2025, but with the arrival of Karl Darlow, an experienced Premier League goalkeeper, Carrick could opt to give the Welsh international his debut.

As for the back four, Diogo Dalot received a lot of criticism for his poor performance against City, so may be replaced by Noussair Mazraoui. Leny Yoro and Ayden Heaven have not seen significant minutes at centre-back, and this is the perfect chance for them both to start.

As for left-back, Patrick Dorgu has been the man on that flank in the last two games, but has received criticism for his poor display on Sunday afternoon. Luke Shaw only just missed out on playing against City and may be reinstated for security reasons.

In midfield, while Kobbie Mainoo and Youri Tielemans have been more positive than their teammates, the Brighton fixture comes as a timely chance to rest both players. Mason Mount is back fit to play, and could be joined by Andrey Santos.

Mount and Santos received a lot of plaudits for how they performed together in pre-season, and Carrick may view Wednesday's clash as the perfect opportunity to give them both much-needed starts.

While United's entire back six and goalkeeper could be changed, two players are likely to keep their starting spots in the front four, with one being club captain Bruno Fernandes. United don't have another attacking midfielder like him.

Benjamin Šeško is expected to lead the line, having come off the bench in every Premier League fixture so far. The Slovenian international is now fully recovered from his shin injury and needs as many minutes as possible on the pitch.

Matheus Cunha, Marcus Rashford, and Bryan Mbeumo all started in the derby, but with Cunha and Mbeumo drawing critics for their anonymous displays at the weekend, the pair could see themselves dropped, while Rashford keeps his place on the left.

The Brighton tie could be a great chance for the Englishman to start developing a relationship on the pitch with Šeško. On the right flank, Shea Lacey may be handed his first start of the season.

United predicted XI vs Brighton: Darlow, Mazraoui, Heaven, Yoro, Shaw, Santos, Mount, Lacey, Fernandes, Rashford, Šeško.