Manchester United will host Brighton and Hove Albion this Wednesday, Sept. 16, for the third round of the EFL Cup. Neither the Red Devils nor the Seagulls had to play in the second round to qualify for this stage of the competition, so it is more appropriate to look at their most recent Premier League matches.
Manchester United are coming off a 1-0 defeat to Manchester City in the derby on Sept. 13. Before that, on Sept. 10, they convincingly defeated Sabah 4-0 on the opening matchday of the 2026-27 UEFA Champions League. In that match, four different players scored, including Mateus Cunha, Bruno Fernandes, Benjamin Sesko and Lisandro Martínez.
United sit 13th in the Premier League with four points after four matches, with one win, one draw and two defeats.
Brighton, meanwhile, are coming off a convincing 5-0 victory over newly promoted Coventry City on Sept. 13. Similarly, all the goals for Fabián Hurzeler’s team came from different players, including Charalampos Koutsoulas, Malick Yalcouye, Pascal Groß, Lewis Dunk and Yasin Ayari.
Brighton sit fifth in the Premier League with seven points after four matches, with two wins, one draw and one defeat. In other words, the Seagulls are going through a better moment than Michael Carrick’s team.
Manchester United vs. Brighton: Team News & Starting Lineups
For this match, Manchester United will not be able to count on Carlos Baleba (ankle injury), Amad Diallo (ankle injury), Matthijs de Ligt (back problems), Manuel Ugarte (knee injury), or Tom Heaton (hamstring injury). Meanwhile, Luke Shaw is doubtful for this match due to fitness issues.
On Brighton’s side, there is also a long list of injuries, as they will not be able to count on Yankuba Minteh (calf), Kaoru Mitoma (thigh), Jack Hinshelwood (unspecified), Mats Wieffer (knee), Stefanos Tzimas (knee), Evan Ferguson (ankle), Zadok Yohanna (unspecified).
Georginio Rutter is doubtful for this specific match due to ankle problems, as is Femi Azeez due to a thigh issue, and Michael Svoboda due to knee problems.
Manchester United CONFIRMED starting XI vs. Brighton & Hove Albion: Darlow, Dalot, Mazraoui, Mount, Rashford, Yoro, Andrey Santos, Tielemans, Heaven, Sesko, Lacey.
Brighton & Hove Albion CONFIRMED starting XI vs. Manchester United: Steele, Hadjam, Struijk, Gross, Chema, Kostoulas, Costinha, Boscagli, O’Riley, Yalcouye, Vuskovic.
These predicted starting lineups will be replaced by the official confirmed lineups about an hour before kickoff, when both clubs announce them.
Manchester United vs. Brighton Lineup Today: Team News & Confirmed Starting XI for EFL Cup