If Manchester United’s fixture at home to Brighton and Hove Albion goes ahead this weekend, it will be without Yves Bissouma.
Bissouma picked up a yellow card in Brighton’s match with Wolves on Wednesday night and will now be suspended for the Seagulls’ next fixture.
United fans are awaiting confirmation the game goes ahead on Saturday after the midweek fixture with Brentford was postponed due to a Covid outbreak.
BBC Sport reported United’s players returned to Carrington on Wednesday, although there have been additional Covid cases.
Bissouma missing the game will be a personal blow for him. He had welcomed Cristiano Ronaldo to the Premier League with an Instagram post back in September, describing the United forward as ‘more than a legend’, and this would have been his first ever opportunity to play against him.
For United, his absence is a positive. Bissouma was excellent for Brighton at Old Trafford last season, making six tackles, three interceptions, and completing 90 per cent of his passes. He left a strong impression and had United supporters praising him as a potential future signing.
A good time to play Brighton
Bissouma’s absence adds to the sense that this is a good time to play Brighton, with several key players missing.
Defender Lewis Dunk is out with injury, along with centre-back Adam Webster, who is their record signing at £20 million. He is not expected back until Boxing Day, The Athletic report.
To compound their woes, defender Joel Veltman appeared to pull up with a hamstring injury in their defeat to Wolves too.
Former United striker Danny Welbeck is also out with injury and not expected to return until later in December.
Brighton have also failed to win any match in all competitions since September, including last night’s 1-0 home loss.
United were made to work hard to beat them in both Premier League games last season, each decided by a single goal, and while they won’t roll over at the weekend, the injuries and now Yves Bissouma’s suspension weighs the tie even more in United’s favour.
With United’s players getting an extra week’s rest too, while Brighton played and lost in midweek, this really is the perfect time to go up against them.
With everything else falling into place, United need to cross fingers and hope the match goes ahead, otherwise by time it gets re-arranged, Brighton will probably have Bissouma, Dunk, Webster and Welbeck back, and it will likely be squeezed in between other matches.
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