Manchester United will face Brighton in the Carabao Cup with both teams dealing with injury concerns
Manchester United manager Michael Carrick
Manchester United manager Michael Carrick(Image: Dave Howarth - CameraSport via Getty Images)
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Manchester United and Brighton are both expected to have players on the sidelines when they meet in the Carabao Cup this week. United will host the Seagulls at Old Trafford on Wednesday night in the third round of the competition as they begin their quest for major silverware.
United go into the game on the back of a disappointing 1-0 defeat to Manchester City in the Premier League clash at the weekend in the Manchester derby.
Michael Carrick will now turn his attention to the Carabao Cup, but will still have to deal with the reality of some players being unavailable for selection.
United were without Luke Shaw for the defeat to City on Sunday, with the left-back now missing the last two matches through injury.
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Carrick stated that he hopes to have Shaw available to face Brighton, but could not guarantee it.
"He could possibly be fit for Brighton, but it's not clear-cut,” Carrick told reporters on Tuesday. “But it's a matter of a few days rather than anything else.”
There has also been no Carlos Baleba so far this season, with the midfielder signing for United from Brighton earlier in the summer.
Baleba is sidelined with an ankle injury he picked up during his time with the Seagulls, and is getting closer to a return, but will not be available to face his former club.
“He’ll be back in and around the group at some point over the next week or so,” Carrick said. “So that means, after the internationals, he should be in good shape.”
United will also be without Amad Diallo and Matthijs de Ligt, with both players working their way back to full fitness. Amad picked up an injury before the start of the season, while De Ligt has been sidelined with a back issue since last November.
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"Amad, not quite close in terms of days, but we'll see as the week progresses," said Carrick. "And Matta’s [De Ligt] just working his way back, really, so because of the time frame and how it's been, I don't really want to put too much time frame on it."
Manuel Ugarte and Tom Heaton will also be unavailable for United for the clash against Brighton.
For the Seagulls, they have a lengthy list of absentees for their trip to Old Trafford this week.
Stefanos Tzimas is still expected to be unavailable for Brighton, with the striker currently sidelined with a muscle injury, with Brighton boss Fabian Hurzeler saying he suffered a “setback” in his recovery.
Yankuba Minteh and Evan Ferguson are long-term abentees for the Seagulls and are not expected to be available for the foreseeable future.
Kaoru Mitoma, Jack Hinshelwood and Mats Wieffer are getting closer to returns from their injuries, but are not expected to be back until after the international break.
Brighton will be hoping to call upon Georginio Rutter against United, who has been sidelined through injury since the opening day of the Premier League season.
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Femi Azeez could also make his return from a muscle injury against United, but there is uncertainty over whether or not Michael Svoboda will be available.