Sorare FA Cup football preview: Brighton vs Manchester United

Brighton face Manchester United in the second FA Cup semi-final at Wembley on Sunday as the Seagulls look to book a place in only their second-ever FA Cup final.

The two sides, while not evenly matched on paper, are separated by 10 points in the league with Brighton enjoying by far their best season in the Premier League to date, but are still second favourites when it comes to taking on Manchester United.

The game will be part of Gameweek 365 on Sorare Football, and 101 Great Goals has broken down the key statistical takeaways ahead of the game.

Brighton Sorare L5 stat pack

Brighton’s top performers over their last five matches

Three Brighton Sorare gems to watch

Julio Enciso

The teenager made his mark in Brighton’s 2-1 win over Chelsea at Stamford Bridge. It was a stunning long-range strike from the winger, who only scored his first goal for the Seagulls since his arrival last summer in early April against Bournemouth, but all the signs are that he could be the next masterstroke signing by the Brighton hierarchy. The only question mark is how he is to gain regular minutes in this remarkable side, but given Evan Ferguson’s injury he looks as though he could be set for a run of games.

He may be a pick of slight risk, but do not be surprised if Julio Enciso is the next future superstar to come out of the Brighton system.

Pervis Estupinan

Estupinan’s stock is rising ever higher, and a string of fine performances has established himself as a shrewd signing on Sorare. He has been pretty much a regular over the past season, participating in 90% of Brighton’s last 40 games and maintaining a very high average score over that time with 46.

If Brighton are ambitious against Manchester United, they know there are weaknesses in the Red Devil’s defence and the impact of Estupinan could be crucial from wing-back. He may have his work cut out with the attacking threat of Antony pushing him the other way, but he ranks in the top 85% among all fullbacks throughout Europe for expected assists, so is undoubtedly one of the top fullbacks to consider.

Solly March

At this stage of the season, Solly March is no longer a surprise pick such has been his fine form this season. Someone who was previously a solid and reliable pick is now returning huge points hauls, averaging 70 points per game over his last 15 matches and 55 over his last 40.

That goes up to an incredible 75 points in his last five outings, with a high of 88 against Chelsea last weekend. If you’re looking for Brighton players to put in your Sorare side, March is a must-pick given his importance to the Brighton system and his all-round contributions in attack and defence, which ensure a high score as per the Sorare algorithm.

Brighton most recent line-up, Sorare scores and team news

Evan Ferguson led the line for Brighton in their win over Chelsea, but was substituted in the first half following a collision and is considered a major doubt for the semi-final, opening the way for the likes of Danny Welbeck and Julio Enciso.

Joel Veltman suffered a hamstring injury and has already been ruled out of the Wembley meeting by manager Roberto De Zerbi. Enciso replaced him at the weekend so we could see a reshuffle in terms of personnel with Pascal Gross and Solly March capable of filling multiple positions.

Adam Lallana, Tariq Lamptey, Jakub Moder and Jeremy Sarmiento are all still out injured.

Manchester United Sorare L5 stat pack

Manchester United’s best performers over their last five matches

Three Manchester United Sorare gems to watch

Christian Eriksen

Eriksen made his return to the starting line-up in the 2-0 win over Nottingham Forest on Sunday, and there were signs that his return could help the Red Devils finish the season on a high. They have been missing his control exerted ever since he went down injured in January, and with Marcel Sabitzer the latest in a long list of injuries, Eriksen will be a crucial player until the end of the season.

His L5 and L15 scores have been deceptively low because of the injury, with with an L40 of 54 and 17 scores of over 60 in that time he has shown himself to be a reliable performer who performs a critical role in a deeper midfield position.

Antony

Despite being a high profile, big-money signing last summer, Antony has taken a while to convince supporters at Old Trafford but there are recent signs that he is adapting to life in the Premier League. It may actually be that the injury to Marcus Rashford could have been a blessing in disguise for Antony, who saw his role become more important as an integral part of the attack in his absence.

A fine goal and performance against Forest gave him a standout score of 89 in the match, and he has shown consistency with an L15 of 55. That could rise in the coming weeks if his recent form continues.

Diogo Dalot

Another goalscorer from Sunday’s game, Dalot was shifted to a new role at left-back due to the succession of injuries at the club. Tyrell Malacia’s poor performance against Sevilla opened the door for Dalot to slot in on the left, and the injuries to Luke Shaw, Raphael Varane and Lisandro Martinez means he is the only remaining regular starter in the Man Utd defence - although Shaw is on the comeback trail.

Previously he has been rotated too much to be considered a shrewd choice, but these latest injuries should make him a regular starter and with an L5 of 66 he is in prime form.

Manchester United most recent line-up, Sorare scores and team news

The defensive injuries to Varane and Martinez have limited Erik ten Hag’s options at the back so it would be a surprise if they changed their side from the win over Nottingham Forest. Tyrell Malacia has also suffered a knock, but Shaw could make a return to central defence given the performance of Diogo Dalot at the weekend.

Alejandro Garnacho has returned to training and could be a contender to make the bench, but their options are severely hampered by the spate of injuries.

Rashford is likely to start having come off the bench against Sevilla during the week, while Scott McTominay may also return but Marcel Sabitzer is likely to be ruled out.