Some thoughts on facing Manchester United in the FA Cup
Coming 35 years after facing Manchester United in the 1983 FA Cup Final, most Brighton fans would have had mixed feelings about drawing the Red Devils in the quarter-finals this year.
On one hand, it will be a special day at Old Trafford and a good chance to cause an upset, with Jose Mourinho’s men, hopefully, a little stretched due to the rigorous toll of the Champions League campaign. On the other hand, it would have been nice to get a home tie against weaker opposition and a better shot at only a second-ever FA Cup semi-final for the Seagulls.
Big 6 teams all kept apart in intriguing quarter-final draw
Of course, the conspiracy theorists will all be raising eyebrows at the fact that United, Man City, Spurs and Chelsea have all been kept about the quarter-final draw. But let’s hope that Brighton can spoil the ‘Big 6’ party in the semi-finals. In terms of betting on the Cup outright, Brighton have been priced at around 33/1 with most bookmakers, but they are as high as 50/1 with Bet Victor. No doubt plenty of Brighton fans will hope that they can ‘do a Leicester’ and will be dropping a few quid on the win. City, understandably, are favourites at 7/4, with United 3/1, Spurs 7/2 and Chelsea 5/1. You can now get a free bet from your favourite brand to bet on Brighton or anyone else in the competition.
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Champions League concerns could cause United to lose focus
Concerning the game at Old Trafford on 17th March (the date could change with TV scheduling), it obviously is a bit of a mountain for Brighton to climb. Contrary to some perceptions, United really are a force to be reckoned with at home. They have lost just once there this season (against City) and have only dropped seven points in total at HQ. In that respect, it is no surprise to see United priced at 2/9 to win the game and Brighton as big as 11/1. The draw, which Chris Hughton would surely take, is available at 5/1.
Despite United’s excellent home form, there are some reasons to be optimistic. We went toe for toe with them in the 1-0 defeat at Old Trafford in late-November, with Mourinho even stating that: “They gave us probably the hardest match we’ve had this season.” There is also the fact that United’s Champions League Last 16 second leg against Sevilla takes place the same week on 13th March. There is every chance that Mourinho will juggle his squad to cope with the two fixtures, possible playing into Brighton’s hands.
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Midfield battles key to unlocking United’s defence
Even if United are fit, fresh and firing, there are ways to cause them problems. While they can sometimes be devastating on the counter attack, they are often unbalanced in midfield. Both Spurs and Newcastle recently showed how swamping Paul Pogba and Nemanja Matic can lead to gaining good territory in the final third of the pitch. It should also be noted that both Phil Jones or Chris Smalling can sometimes be a little flat-footed at centre back, perhaps opening the door for the likes of Jose Izquierdo or Anthony Knockaert to thrive.
Of course, Hughton will also be thinking about rotating his squad for what is increasingly looking like the most open relegation fight in Premier League history. It will be interesting to see how he approaches the game, but he surely must feel that Brighton have a better chance than the odds suggest. Most Brighton fans would feel that United ‘owe’ us from 1983. Hopefully, they can collect that payment this year.
