Manchester United vs Brighton is going to be a thrilling clash in the 2025/26 FA Cup third round as the two determined Premier League sides look to move forward in the cup in what should be a thrilling meeting on Sunday, January 11.
The Manchester United vs Brighton game should be a pretty action-packed game because of the tendency of both teams to play entertaining attacking football and how desperate both are to push for the FA Cup title.
Manchester United are still in transition after Ruben Amorim’s surprising sacking, while the Seagulls are coming off a hard-fought draw against Manchester City and that should make this upcoming FA Cup game a pretty entertaining match to watch for the fans.
Match Details
Old Trafford
Manchester, England
Sunday, 11 January
16:30 GMT
Under-Pressure Manchester United Look to Vent Frustration Onto Unpredictable Brighton
The Manchester United vs Brighton clash should be a pretty end-to-end cup game to watch for the fans because of the recent form of both teams and the kind of football they’ve played all throughout the course of the 2025/26 season.
Manchester United are under pressure to start performing to their best after having drawn their last three consecutive matches, which has seen them fall to seventh place in the Premier League table. The Red Devils will hope to be at their clinical best in terms of putting away chances against the Seagulls, but they have to be defensively much stronger to keep their opponents quiet and to stop them from popping up a surprise at Old Trafford.
Brighton & Hove Albion are coming off a draw against Manchester City, but they now look to do one better against the other Manchester side. The Seagulls are on a three-match unbeaten run, but have won just one of their last five games as they look to be more efficient against Manchester United to get a big cup win and also get their revenge for the 4-2 loss at Old Trafford in the Premier League earlier this season.
Brighton have won three of their last five games against Manchester United, including in two of their last three trips to Old Trafford, as they aim to replicate that heroics in the upcoming FA Cup clash.
Can Matheus Cunha Find His Rhythm in the New Manchester United Set-Up?
Matheus Cunha was slotted into an unfamiliar right-wing role in Manchester United’s first match after Ruben Amorim’s sacking, something that didn’t allow him to do much in the 2-2 draw against Burnley.
The Brazilian forward loves a free-flowing role where he can have more freedom with his movement and in terms of creating chances, but slotting him out wide to the right wing doesn’t really help him at all. Cunha will need to find his best role in this new system at Manchester United, and that’s likely to be on the left wing.
The Brazilian, who has four goals in 19 appearances so far in the 2025/26 season, needs to be more consistent with his goal contributions and in terms of creating chances, as he’ll look to be more accurate with his final passes and decisive with his shooting to torment Brighton and get a big win for his side.
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Wily Danny Welbeck Eager To Haunt Former Side in Old Trafford Return
Danny Welbeck is set to make his return to Old Trafford in the Manchester United vs Brighton clash, and he will be determined to pour even more misery on his childhood club. Welbeck has scored eight goals for Brighton so far in the 2025/26 season, and he still has that unpredictable factor in popping up in the right areas to score goals.
The 35-year-old might not be the youngest anymore, but he can still get at the end of chances and finish them off ruthlessly. Welbeck will aim to do that against the Red Devils, against whom he has seven goals in 18 appearances, as he aims to add even more to help Brighton progress in the FA Cup.
Manchester United vs Brighton Injuries
Manchester United injuries: Matthijs de Ligt
Brighton injuries: Adam Webster, Mats Wieffer, Solly March, Stefanos Tzimas, Yankuba Minteh
Manchester United vs Brighton Predicted Lineups
Knowing the importance of this FA Cup clash, both Darren Fletcher and Fabian Hurzeler will aim to field the strongest teams. Here we look at the Manchester United vs Brighton predicted lineups:
Manchester United predicted XI: Altay Bayindir (GK), Diogo Dalot, Leny Yoro, Lisandro Martinez, Patrick Dorgu, Manuel Ugarte, Kobbie Mainoo, Bruno Fernandes, Mason Mount, Matheus Cunha, Benjamin Sesko
Brighton predicted XI: Bart Verbruggen (GK), Jack Hinshelwood, Jan Paul van Hecke, Maxime De Cruyper, James Milner, Pascal Gross, Ferdi Kadioglu, Brajan Gruda, Kaoru Mitoma, Danny Welbeck
Main Photo
Credit: IMAGO / Visionhaus
Recording Date: 25.10.2025
