Brighton & Hove Albion captain Lewis Dunk says the Seagulls will be motivated by their 2019 FA Cup semi-final defeat to Man City when they face Manchester United at the same stage of the competition next month.
Brighton, who beat United 2-1 at Old Trafford on the opening day of the Premier League season back in August, booked their place at Wembley with a comprehensive 5-0 win over League Two outfit Grimsby Town on Sunday afternoon. A brace from Evan Ferguson plus goals from Deniz Undav, Solly March and Kaoru Mitoma ensured the Premier League outfit avoided a huge scalp.
Their reward for beating the Mariners is a Wembley showdown with United, who booked their place in the last-four with a dramatic 3-1 win over Fulham at Old Trafford. It will mark their first Wembley meeting in the FA Cup since going head-to-head in the 1983 final, which the Reds won 4-0 in a replay after the original game ended 2-2.
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Brighton, who are enjoying a fantastic campaign, currently finding themselves seventh in the Premier League table, have not appeared in the FA Cup final since and Dunk is determined to change that after being so close in 2019.
"We're in a different place to where we were then," said Dunk, as quoted by the Mirror. "Look how many players we had at the World Cup, players involved in big occasions - you can't get bigger than the World Cup. So, we're in a different place as a club, as a group, and we go to Wembley confident in our ability to get to a final.
"I wouldn't say we went there in awe of it last time - we deserved to be there and we were excellent. Losing only 1-0 against City (who won the final 6-0 against Watford), we stayed in the game all the way. But we were on the losing side and it didn't feel nice, so hopefully we can go there and win it next time."
Although Wembley brings added pressure, Brighton have enjoyed victories against United recently, winning each of the last two meetings between the two clubs by an aggregate scoreline of 6-1. Both were recorded under former boss and now-Chelsea chief Graham Potter. However, the Seagulls have continued to flourish under new head coach Roberto De Zerbi, who has implemented a vibrant and high-tempo style of football.
Dunk added: "It has been a big change - you can see that by the way we are performing and where we are in the table. We go into every game knowing exactly what we're doing, what we're about and we know we can beat anyone on our day. He just gives us confidence and puts pure belief in our ability during the training week. We go out there confident as anyone."
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