Brighton boss Roberto de Zerbi has said that appearing in the FA Cup semi-final against Manchester United at Wembley Stadium on Sunday is an “honour” and that his side will play with “emotion”. The Seagulls are one win away from reaching the final for the first time since 1983, when they lost to United in a replay. De Zerbi said his players had to learn to deal with the pressure of playing in high-stakes matches as Brighton look to end the season in style.
Manchester United have fond memories of Wembley this season, having beaten Newcastle there to win the Carabao Cup in February. However, they return to the national stadium after a poor defeat against Sevilla in Spain sent them crashing out of the Europa League. United have bounced back from recent setbacks and they will need to do so again if they are to finish the season with two domestic trophies and a top-four finish.
De Zerbi said no-one had been completely ruled out for Sunday when asked on Friday. Defender Joel Veltman and forward Evan Ferguson have been struggling with injuries. Marcus Rashford could start for Manchester United after returning from injury as a substitute against Sevilla, while Bruno Fernandes is available after serving a suspension in the last match.
Erik ten Hag, Manchester United’s manager, said his team needed to take a “huge step forward” and perform better if they were to beat Brighton. He said they were facing a “tough team” and that they needed to reach higher standards in order to compete.