Manchester United host the final of four all-Premier League ties in the FA Cup third round when they face Brighton & Hove Albion on Sunday afternoon.
Uncertainty continues to engulf the Red Devils following the dismissal of Ruben Amorim. Darren Fletcher will be on the touchline for the upcoming clash with the Seagulls but United are still searching for an interim boss until the end of the season, with former striker and manager Ole Gunnar Solskjær among those under consideration.
Fletcher’s dugout debut ended in disappointment midweek as United were held to a 2–2 draw by Premier League strugglers Burnley and the Scotsman will be expecting a reaction on Sunday. The Red Devils will be aiming to replicate their 4–2 victory over the Seagulls back in October, although preferably with a few less nerves in the dying embers.
Brighton’s defeat at Old Trafford several months ago ended a three-game winning streak at the venue and Fabian Hürzeler will be seeking revenge. Having claimed a hard-fought point across Manchester at the Etihad Stadium on Wednesday, the south coast side will not be short on belief.
Sunday’s meeting will be the ninth FA Cup duel between the teams, the first dating all the way back to 1909 and the most recent coming in the semi-final in 2023. Brighton were agonisingly beaten at Wembley Stadium three years ago and will hope for a more favourable outcome on this occasion.
Here’s Sports Illustrated’s preview of the tie.
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Man Utd vs. Brighton Head-to-Head Record (Last Five Games)
Current Form (All Competitions)
|
Man Utd |
Brighton |
|---|---|
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Burnley 2–2 Man Utd – 07/01/26 |
Man City 1–1 Brighton – 07/01/26 |
|
Leeds 1–1 Man Utd – 04/01/26 |
Brighton 2–0 Burnley – 03/01/26 |
|
Man Utd 1–1 Wolves – 30/12/25 |
West Ham 2–2 Brighton – 30/12/25 |
|
Man Utd 1–0 Newcastle – 26/12/25 |
Arsenal 2–1 Brighton – 27/12/25 |
|
Aston Villa 2–1 Man Utd – 21/12/25 |
Brighton 0–0 Sunderland – 20/12/25 |
|
Country |
TV channel/live stream |
|---|---|
|
United Kingdom |
TNT Sports 1, TNT Sports 2, TNT Sports Ultimate, discovery+, discovery+ App |
|
United States |
ESPN Select, ESPN App, fuboTV |
|
Canada |
Sportsnet World, Sportsnet One, Sportsnet Plus |
|
Mexico |
TNT Sports, TNT Go, Max Mexico |
United welcomed four absentees back to the fold midweek as Bruno Fernandes, Mason Mount and Kobbie Mainoo all earned minutes at Turf Moor, while Harry Maguire was an unused substitute. The quartet are expected to be in the matchday squad again on Sunday.
Bryan Mbeumo was knocked out of the Africa Cup of Nations on Friday night as his Cameroon side were beaten by Noussair Mazraoui’s Morocco. However, Fletcher has confirmed that the ex-Brentford forward won’t be available against Brighton. Amad Diallo is also missing due to his involvement at AFCON.
Matthijs de Ligt is Fletcher’s only absentee through injury, with the temporary boss unlikely to rotate too much given United have no European football to worry about and have already been kicked out of the Carabao Cup.
Man Utd predicted lineup vs. Brighton (4-2-3-1): Lammens; Dalot, Yoro, Martínez, Shaw; Casemiro, Mainoo; Cunha, Fernandes, Dorgu; Šeško.
Hürzeler has hinted at making changes to his starting lineup against the Red Devils but is buoyed by the returns of Joël Veltman and Charalampos Kostoulas from injury. Yankuba Minteh could also feature in some capacity after missing recent games with a dead leg.
Solly March and Mats Wieffer won’t return in time for the game, however, while Adam Webster and Stefanos Tzimas are long-term absentees.
Hürzeler has insisted he will only dish out opportunities to players who “really deserve it,” with peripheral figures such as Diego Coppola, Tom Watson and Jason Steele potentially getting chances to shine.
Brighton predicted lineup vs. Man Utd (4-2-3-1): Steele; Veltman, Coppola, Dunk, Kadıoğlu; Ayari, Milner; Gruda, Rutter, Watson; Welbeck.
Despite losing at Old Trafford in October, Brighton have an excellent record away at United and could add to a growing list of memorable triumphs in Manchester. Hürzeler will make changes, but he boasts a deep and well-organised squad capable of causing problems for a United side who have stumbled to three straight draws.
Stalemates with Wolverhampton Wanderers, Leeds United and Burnley will have dented confidence levels and Amorim’s departure only confuses things further. Let’s not forget that this is a side who were knocked out of the Carabao Cup by Grimsby Town earlier this season.
