Hughton: Brighton can shock Man United

Nov 23, 2017 - 5:57 PM Brighton head to Manchester United with manager Chris Hughton insisting they must believe they can pull off a shock win.

The Seagulls, who have Socceroos goalkeeper Mat Ryan between the sticks, head to Old Trafford in ninth place following a solid opening to a first campaign back in the Premier League for 34 years, which has seen them go unbeaten in the past five matches.

Despite the prospect of playing at a venue where United have not lost since September 2016, Hughton sees no reason to think his men cannot spring a surprise.

Asked if Brighton could "turn over" Jose Mourinho's team, Hughton said: "Of course we can, but we know what we would have to do to do that and there certainly aren't many teams at our level that are going to go there and win.

"You know you have got to play at a very high level and you have certainly got to have that bit of luck that goes with a win away from home at any one of the big clubs.

"But these are the days you have worked so hard for as a team and what you got promotion for and the excitement of going to this type of stadium."

Brighton have never won at Old Trafford, but Hughton is not about to let that worry his team.

"You can't go there with fear because if you do then it's inevitable what will happen. You have to go there with a belief and a confidence that you can get something," the Brighton boss said.

"The pressure is off because of expectations."

"I am being realistic when I say that a large majority of people in football would not expect us to get a result on Saturday.

"In some ways that's not a bad starting position because it takes the pressure off the team and we know that anything that we can get will be a bonus."

Source: AAP