Manchester United could take another giant stride toward securing a top-four berth with victory over Brighton and Hove Albion later today, with the Seagulls likely to be looking for revenge following their penalty shootout defeat when the two sides met in the FA Cup semi-final last month.

That hard-fought encounter was ultimately decided by a missed spot-kick from Brighton man, Solly March, with the Englishman ballooning his effort over the crossbar to allow the Red Devils the chance seal progression, before Victor Lindelof subsequently stepped up to book his side's place in the showpiece.

Despite having come out on top - eventually - in that cagey encounter, Erik ten Hag's men will be fully aware that they were not given any easy ride by the Premier League highflyers, with it set to be another stern test for the Old Trafford outfit in this evening's trip to the Amex.

The Carabao Cup winners go into tonight's mouthwatering meeting having secured victory over in-form side, Aston Villa, on Sunday afternoon, with Bruno Fernandes' first-half strike inflicting a rare defeat on the Villans to end their ten-game unbeaten run.

Amid that relatively comfortable win for the hosts at the Theatre of Dreams, it proved a difficult outing for midfield maestro, Christian Eriksen, with the Danish "genius" - as previously hailed by Statman Dave' - having 'shook his head in frustration at his own performance', according to Manchester Evening News journalist Samuel Luckhurst.

That frustrating display could potentially see the 31-year-old drop out of the side for tonight's clash, with the £150k-per-week man having also underwhelmed against Roberto De Zerbi's men in that recent Wembley showdown.

Will Eriksen start against Brighton?

The summer arrival - who has only returned from a lengthy injury lay off in recent weeks - was unable to make a telling impact in that FA Cup tussle, having notably been restricted to just 26 touches in his 62-minute outing - far fewer than what teammate David De Gea achieved in the sticks (59).

The former Brentford and Tottenham Hotspur man also failed to win a single duel and lost possession on eight occasions before being replaced on the hour mark, with his 6.5 match rating, as per Sofascore, having been the lowest of any starting player for the Red Devils.

Eriksen-Man-United-Brighton-Ten-Hag-Premier-League

Those woes did not go unnoticed as Eriksen was criticised for his 'leggy performance' by the aforementioned Luckhurst, having notably spurned an inviting opening in the first-half on what was a 'day to forget' - according to The Guardian's Jamie Jackson.

That lax showing may be understandable due to the midfielder's only recent return from injury, although the 120-cap gem's further woes against Unai Emery's men at the weekend could ensure that it is time for a midfield shake-up tonight.