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Manchester United fans are fretting about potentially facing Brighton & Hove Albion after an apparent leak of the opening game week fixtures of the 2023-24 Premier League season.
An image of the fixture list has gone viral on Twitter, throwing together some tantalising games to start the new campaign. The leak has left Red Devils fans frustrated, as they're set for a case of deja vu.
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The leak has put together a clash between Manchester United and Brighton & Hove Albion at Old Trafford. If the image is legitimate, it would be a rematch of last season's opener for the Red Devils.
Erik ten Hag started his managerial reign with United with a 2-1 loss to Brighton. Pascal Gross grabbed a brace for the Seagulls, while Alexis Mac Allister's own goal was the hosts' only strike of the day.
However, Manchester United responded well to that setback, as they didn't suffer defeat at Old Trafford for the rest of the league campaign. They ended the season third to return to the UEFA Champions League.
Other games that will seemingly take place include champions Manchester City visiting Turf Moor to face their club legend Vincent Kompany's Burnley. Meanwhile, last season's runners-up Arsenal make a trip to Fulham.
Newcomers Luton Town will kickstart their campaign against Liverpool. Mauricio Pochettino will take his new Chelsea side to Selhurst Park to face Crystal Palace. Tottenham Hotspur will host Newcastle United, hoping not to concede five goals as they did in the opening 20 minutes of a 6-1 defeat at St James' Park.
The leak must be taken with a grain of salt, though, as the fixture list hasn't been confirmed for the 2023-24 campaign. The Premier League is set to release the schedule of matches on Thursday (June 15).
Meanwhile, Manchester United fans aren't confident about their chances against Brighton, with one fan tweeting:
"We're gonna get thrashed first game in again."
Another is ruing the Red Devils' luck as they potentially clash with a Brighton side that qualified for the UEFA Europa League:
"We never have it easy."
Here's how Red Devils fans reacted on Twitter to the leaked fixture list:
Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag wants his side to invest ahead of next season
Manchester United will likely head into the 2023-24 campaign with new owners. Qatari banker Sheikh Jassim and INEOS chairman Sir Jim Ratcliffe are competing for ownership of the Old Trafford outfit.
Ten Hag wants the Red Devils to invest regardless of who wins the race for the club's ownership (via Sky Sports):
"The club knows that if you want to play top four, if you want to compete for trophies in this tough league, you have to invest, otherwise you won't progress because other clubs will."
Ten Hag's side didn't make any purchases in January, instead signing Marcel Sabitzer from Bayern Munich and Wout Weghorst from Burnley on loan. The Dutch tactician alluded to that:
"We saw it in the winter. All the clubs around us invested. We didn't, and still we made it. So I am really happy and proud of my team."
Manchester United will head into the new campaign as Carabao Cup winners. They finished third as Ten Hag impressed in his debut campaign at Old Trafford. However, he was aided by spending over £225 million on six new players in the summer, including Casemiro and Lisandro Martinez.
