Man Utd Predicted Lineup vs. Brighton: Sesko Targets Carabao Cup Goals

The Red Devils boss must smartly manage his roster for the visit of Brighton in the Carabao Cup third round.

Bryan Mbeumo and Benjamin Šeško will hope to cause Brighton problems. | Visionhaus/Getty Images

An indifferent start to the Premier League season means Michael Carrick’s seat is starting to warm for the first time since he returned to Manchester United in January.

The Red Devils’ 1–0 defeat to cross-city rivals Manchester City on Sunday certainly wasn’t without controversy, but it was perhaps the bleakest outing of Carrick’s tenure to date. Once again, United were idealess as the protagonists, with the Cityzens reducing them to a state of toil despite their man advantage.

The good news for Carrick is that they have the chance to atone in the Carabao Cup at Old Trafford on Wednesday. The bad news, however, is that a rampant Brighton & Hove Albion are heading to the Theatre of Dreams. The Seagulls are the leading scorers in the Premier League through four games, and have won on four of their previous five visits to the Red Devils’ amphitheatre.

Here’s how United could line up at Old Trafford.

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Man Utd Predicted Lineup vs. Brighton

GK: Karl Darlow—Darlow joined the club from Leeds United in the summer, and he’s set to make his first appearance for the Red Devils on Wednesday.

RB: Noussair Mazraoui—Diogo Dalot celebrated his 250th Man Utd appearance with a shoddy performance in the derby but remains the first-choice option. Rotation and minutes management should allow Mazraoui into the fold.

CB: Leny Yoro—Yoro hasn’t progressed as much as expected in Manchester, and the Frenchman is likely to be limited to starts in the domestic cups in the short term.

CB: Ayden Heaven—The young defender, serving as Lisandro Martínez’s deputy this season, must use domestic cup outings to show what he can do.

LB: Luke Shaw—Patrick Dorgu filled in for Shaw in the derby, but there’s hope the England man will be good to go here.

CM: Youri Tielemans—The summer arrival pulled no punches in the wake of Sunday’s defeat, suggesting United were undeserving of anything in the derby, despite the controversial nature of Erling Haaland’s winner.

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CM: Andrey Santos—This midfield partnership fell flat on its face on the opening weekend of the season against Hull City, so Carrick would be taking a risk by reverting to it against the red-hot Seagulls. Still, Santos is a shoo-in to return, having lost his spot in Carrick’s ’strongest’ XI.

RW: Bryan Mbeumo—Unless Carrick pivots to youngster Shea Lacey, Mbeumo’s likely to continue down the right-hand side in Amad Diallo’s absence.

AM: Mason Mount—Bruno Fernandes tends to play in every available game, but the decision may need to be taken out of the Portuguese’s hands with Mount more than capable of deputizing.

LW: Patrick Dorgu—A return to playing up field will suit the free-flowing Dorgu, who is certainly more capable heading towards the opposition goal.

ST: Benjamin Šeško—Man Utd went back to their double false-nine approach against Man City, which left them without a box presence until the 67th minute against 10 men. Šeško’s knocking on the door for a second start of the season.

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