Manchester United vs. Brighton and Hove Albion Picks 6/30/20
Manchester United (13-8-10, 49 points, 6th place) vs. Brighton and Hove Albion (7-12-12, 33 points, 15th place)
When: Tuesday, June 30, 3:15 p.m.
Where: American Express Community Stadium, Falmer, United Kingdom
TV: NBCSN
Point Spread: Manchester United -1/Brighton +1
Moneyline: Manchester United -134/Brighton +375/Draw +270
Total: Over 2.5 (+105)/Under 2.5 (-139)
(Betting lines available at 5Dimes – Home of -105 betting odds! BIG Savings!)
Last Time Out:
Brighton drew 0-0 at Leicester City on Tuesday, Manchester United edged Norwich City 2-1 on Saturday.
Previous meeting:
Manchester United defeated Brighton 3-1 on Nov. 30 at Old Trafford.
About the Matchup:
Nobody in England is hotter than Manchester United right now, as the Red Devils have won or tied in 14 consecutive matches, including three since the restart. Now they’ve got to answer back to keep their hold on a Champions League spot, as Chelsea and Wolves both picked up wins in their most recent match.
But Brighton might not be the right opponent for that situation, as the Seagulls have earned a result in six of their past seven matches and have come out sharp since the pause. Despite facing Leicester City and Arsenal in their first two matches, Brighton has taken four points with a win and a draw and has pulled itself out of the relegation zone. On top of that, the Seagulls have never lost a home match to Manchester United as a member of the Premier League.
Scouting Manchester United:
If possession is the name of the game, Manchester United’s the team you can count on. The Red Devils have bossed their past three matches because they’ve had the ball for roughly two-thirds of the game, including their recent cup matchup against Norwich. However, United’s finishing in its past two matches has left a fair amount to be desired.
In the win over Norwich, United took 37 shots at the target and managed to put only eight on goal. That might work against a defense as poor as Norwich’s, but Brighton has been a lot stronger at the back than the average Premier League side. In order to get a win here, United need Anthony Martial to keep up the form he showed against Sheffield United. The Frenchman had all three goals in United’s win over Sheffield, and he’s now got 14 tallies on the season. If he can keep up the attack, United will be a much more dangerous side over the final stretch of the season.
Scouting Brighton:
Wins have been few and far between for Brighton in 2020, but so have losses. In seven of Brighton’s 11 matches since the turn of the calendar, the game has ended in a draw, which has kept the Seagulls safely above the relegation zone. At this point in the year, Brighton is going to be far more focused on defense than offense, because the Seagulls don’t really need to get wins as long as they keep avoiding losses.
The good news for Brighton is that they do have some offense in the form of Neil Maupay, who scored the winner against Arsenal and has shown a nose for goal in recent weeks. The bad news is that Maupay had a chance to come up with the only goal in the match with Leicester City and blew the penalty, leaving the Seagulls with a scoreless draw. When a player misses a penalty, it can weigh on their psyche, something Brighton really can’t afford right now, given that nobody else besides Maupay has more than three goals this season.
Dan’s Best Bets:
United is playing pretty well as of late, but United hasn’t yet figured out how to play at the AMEX Stadium. Because of that, I think taking Brighton on a double chance at +110 is a solid way to play this. I think there’s a good chance that Brighton chooses to park the bus and play for the tie, and they’ve got a good enough defense to do precisely that. If you like the possibility of a tie, you might want to get aggressive and play for a draw with both teams to score, which is paying at +400. A tie hasn’t yet happened in the brief history between United and Brighton (this is only the sixth meeting between the two teams), but both sides have scored in the past three meetings between them.
If you’re of the opinion that United is going to control this match, I’d play United to win the game and score under 3.5 goals at +125. Brighton has been shut out in three of its past four games, and 14 of the Seagulls’ previous 16 matches have featured three goals or less. On the other side, United has seen 11 of its last 13 games against Premier League opposition finish with two goals or less, making the under a very strong play here at -139. If you feel aggressive and want to take the Red Devils, United to win under 2.5 is paying at +260. Bet your soccer predictions for FREE by taking advantage of a 100% REAL CASH bonus where you can deposit anywhere from $100 to $300 and get a dollar-for-dollar matching bonus at MyBookie Sportsbook! This is a special offer only for Predictem readers that you won’t see/find anywhere else! Enjoy!
Dan’s Score Prediction:
This match is unlikely to feature a lot of goals, and that’s just fine with both teams. United’s been playing pretty well as of late, but they’ve also faced an out-of-form Tottenham, a collapsing Sheffield, and an almost-certainly doomed Norwich. Brighton is performing well and is playing at home, neither of which has meant good things for United.
I’m expecting a low-scoring match, and it wouldn’t surprise me if there’s no goals until the second half. With that said, I’m going to call for a 1-1 draw, which is paying out at +625.
