Brighton & Hove Albion vs Manchester United

A place in the FA Cup final is at stake as Brighton & Hove Albion and Manchester United go head-to-head in a handsomely-looking semi-final clash at Wembley Stadium.

Brighton thrashed lower-league Grimsby 5-0 in the quarter-finals to secure only their third appearance in the FA Cup semi-finals. That result forms part of their impressive nine-game form in all competitions (W6, D2, L1). However, the ‘Seagulls’ have never won a competitive fixture at Wembley, drawing one and losing four of their previous five visits to this venue. On a more positive note, Roberto De Zerbi’s men have defeated Manchester United in their last two competitive H2Hs, as many victories as they had in their previous 16 (D2, L12). They should be confident of adding a third win to the tally following a morale-boosting 2-1 Premier League triumph at Chelsea last weekend.

Despite winning all five previous FA Cup ties against Brighton, most recently in the 2017/18 quarter-final, Manchester United cannot take anything for granted as they pursue a cup double following the League Cup triumph in February. Erik ten Hag’s men slumped to a morale-crushing 3-0 defeat at Sevilla in midweek Europa League action, bringing their disappointing continental journey to a halt. That result ended United’s four-match unbeaten streak in all competitions (W3, D1), marking their second scoring blank in five matches. It’s an ominous sign for the ‘Red Devils,’ who have failed to progress from three of their last five FA Cup semi-final ties. But they have won all four contests in the competition this season by an identical 3-1 scoreline.