United have an immediate chance to respond to derby disappointment when Brighton visit Old Trafford in the third round of the Carabao Cup.
Manchester United return to Old Trafford on Wednesday night looking for a quick response to Sunday’s derby defeat.
The 1-0 scoreline against City was frustrating, although the performance offered more encouragement than the result. The decisive goal should have been ruled out for offside and United competed well against a side that has started the season strongly. Add the unfortunate late equaliser at Everton and the opening weeks have felt worse than some of the football has looked.
Results still need to improve. The Carabao Cup sits below the Premier League and Champions League on the list of priorities, yet it remains a realistic route to a trophy and an opportunity for Michael Carrick to give minutes to players outside his regular league side.
Kick-off is at 8pm on Wednesday, with the game live on ITV1, ITVX and Sky Sports. The tie will go straight to penalties if the scores are level after 90 minutes.
Manchester United Team News
Carrick is expected to rotate after matches against Sabah and City in the space of four days. Karl Darlow, Noussair Mazraoui, Leny Yoro, Ayden Heaven and Andrey Santos are among those pushing to start, while Benjamin Šeško should get another chance to lead the line.
Luke Shaw will be assessed after missing the last two games with muscle tightness. Carlos Baleba is back working outside and should rejoin the group soon, though this game comes too early. Amad, Matthijs de Ligt and Manuel Ugarte also remain unavailable.
JJ Gabriel had been in line to make his senior debut and could have become the youngest first-team player in United’s history. The 15-year-old has now reportedly asked the club to cancel his registration, making an appearance against Brighton look very unlikely. United believe the situation can still be resolved, but it would be a surprise to see him involved while talks continue.
Shea Lacey could therefore be the academy player most likely to feature. Carrick still needs enough senior quality around any youngsters, especially against a Brighton side capable of punishing a heavily changed team.
Brighton Team News and Form
Brighton arrive in excellent form after winning 5-0 at Coventry on Sunday. They sit fourth in the Premier League with seven points from four games and have already scored a division-high 13 league goals.
Pascal Gross remains a familiar threat. He scored once and created two more at Coventry, and his record of seven career goals against United should remove any temptation to treat this as a comfortable cup night.
Fabian Hürzeler is also likely to make changes. Georginio Rutter is expected to be available again, while Femi Azeez will be assessed. Kaoru Mitoma, Yankuba Minteh and Jack Hinshelwood are expected to miss out.
Brighton have won seven of the last 11 meetings between the sides in all competitions, including an FA Cup victory at Old Trafford in January. United did win 3-0 on the south coast in May, so Carrick’s players should know there are spaces to exploit if they play through Brighton’s pressure.
What United Need to Do
The main challenge is finding the right balance between rotation and rhythm. Brighton press aggressively and move the ball quickly, which will expose a midfield that has not played together if United become careless in possession.
Santos deserves an opportunity to bring energy alongside Youri Tielemans. Mason Mount can help connect midfield to attack, while Šeško gives United a direct option when Brighton squeeze the pitch. His movement should also create room for Mbeumo and Dorgu to attack from wider positions.
United cannot drift through the opening half-hour and expect individual quality to rescue them. A strong start would settle a changed side, bring the crowd into the game and stop Brighton building the confidence they have found on several recent visits to Old Trafford.
Sunday showed that Carrick’s team can compete with good opposition. Wednesday is a chance to turn a promising performance into a win, move into the fourth round and give the wider squad some momentum before Fulham.
Predicted XI
Darlow;
Mazraoui, Yoro, Heaven, Shaw;
Santos, Tielemans;
Mbeumo, Mount, Dorgu;
Šeško.
If Shaw is not passed fit, Dorgu could drop to left-back with Rashford or Lacey moving into the attack.
Predicted Score
Brighton’s form and recent record at Old Trafford make this a difficult third-round draw. United should still have enough attacking quality to edge it, provided the changes do not leave the team disjointed.
United 2-1 Brighton.
