Mark Lawrenson states his prediction for Man United v Brighton
Mark Lawrenson is expecting to see Manchester United beat Brighton in the Premier League on Saturday
Mark Lawrenson is backing Manchester United to get back to winning ways with a 2-0 victory at Brighton and Hove Albion in the Premier League on Saturday.
The Red Devils missed the chance to book their place in the last 16 of the Champions League on Wednesday night when they suffered a 1-0 defeat by Basel in Switzerland.
That result means that Jose Mourinho’s men need to avoid defeat by CSKA Moscow in their last Champions League group game at Old Trafford next month to qualify for the knockout phase.
Manchester United will now switch their attentions back to Premier League affairs and their crunch clash against Brighton on Saturday.
The Red Devils cannot afford to drop any more points as things stand, with Mourinho’s side already finding themselves eight points behind leaders Manchester City after 12 games.
However, former Liverpool star Lawrenson is fully expecting to see Manchester United claim all three points with a comfortable victory on Saturday.
Writing in his column for BBC Sport, Lawrenson said: “Brighton look as if they belong in the Premier League – with the manner of Monday’s draw with Stoke being further proof of that.
“The way the Seagulls came back for a point after twice going behind shows their belief along with the character and organisation I would associate with a Chris Hughton side.
“Even so, for them to go to Old Trafford and get something is an awfully big ask.
“Paul Pogba added a different dimension to Manchester United’s attack when he returned from injury against Newcastle and he galvanises his team-mates too.
“United look a lot more like scoring when Pogba is in the side, and I don’t see Brighton holding out.”
Manchester United finished sixth in the Premier League table last season and won both the Europa League and League Cup under Mourinho.
The Red Devils are aiming to try and win the Premier League for the first time since their final triumph under Sir Alex Ferguson back in 2013.
