Brighton & Hove Albion will host Manchester City at the Amex Stadium on Saturday, with both sides eager to return to winning ways in the Premier League.
Manchester City, like Brighton & Hove Albion, are struggling, and they have lost their three matches in all competitions. Pep Guardiola will be thoroughly disappointed with the performances of his team, and he will demand a strong reaction from the players.
The defending champions need to get back to winning ways if they want to retain their league crown this season. They cannot afford to keep dropping points. Manchester City are the favourites on paper, and they have the squad to grind out a positive result here.
The away side will be determined to get their season back on track, and Brighton & Hove Albion will have to raise their performance levels to get something out of this contest. Manchester City are unbeaten in their last six meetings against Brighton, and they will certainly look to extend that run here.
Team News & Tactics
Brighton & Hove Albion
Brighton & Hove Albion will be without Matt O’Riley and Joao Pedro due to their ankle injuries. James Milner is still recovering from his thigh injury, Adam Webster has a thigh injury as well, Solly March has a knee issue, Yankuba Minteh has a groin strain, Jack Hinshelwood has a muscle problem, and Lewis Dunk misses out with a calf injury.
Brighton will shape up in a 4-2-3-1 formation against Manchester City, with Bart Verbruggen in goal. Joel Veltman and Pervis Estupinan will start as the full-backs. They will look to help out defensively and hit Manchester City on the break. Jan Paul van Hecke will start in the central defensive partnership alongside Igor Julio.
As for the midfield unit, Mats Wieffer and Carlos Baleba will start in the double pivot. They will look to protect the defensive unit and win the ball back for their side. Julio Enciso will start as the attacking midfielder and create goalscoring opportunities with his passing, vision and link-up play. Simon Adingra and Kaoru Mitoma will start in the wide areas, with Danny Welbeck leading the line.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Verbruggen; Veltman, Julio, van Hecke, Estupinan; Wieffer, Baleba; Adingra, Enciso, Mitoma; Welbeck
Manchester City
Manchester City will be without Rodri because of an ACL injury. Ruben Dias has a muscular injury, John Stones has an ankle issue, Oscar Bobb is out with a leg injury, and Kyle Walker misses out due to a knee injury. Jack Grealish is ruled out with undisclosed problems.
Manchester City will shape up in a 4-2-3-1 formation against Brighton & Hove Albion, with Ederson Moraes in goal. Rico Lewis and Josko Gvardiol will be deployed as the full-backs, and they will look to help out at both ends of the pitch. Manuel Akanji will start at the heart of the defence alongside Nathan Ake.
As for the midfield unit, Ilkay Gundogan will start alongside Mateo Kovacic in the double pivot. They will look to add creativity and control to the side from the deep. Kevin De Bruyne will be deployed in the attacking midfield role, and he will look to create goalscoring opportunities in the final third. Savinho and Jeremy Doku are likely to start in the wide areas, with Erling Haaland leading the line for Manchester City.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Ederson; Lewis, Akanji, Ake, Gvardiol; Gundogan, Kovacic; Savinho, De Bruyne, Doku; Haaland
Key Stats
- Manchester City have won 13 of their last 15 matches against Brighton & Hove Albion in all competitions.
- Manchester City have failed to win three of their last six matches in all competitions.
- Brighton & Hove Albion have failed to win four of their last six matches in all competitions.
- 21 goals have been scored in the last six matches between these two sides.
- Danny Welbeck has failed to score in any of his 19 Premier League appearances against Manchester City. His only goal against them came in Manchester United’s 3-2 away win in the FA Cup third round in 2012.
Player to Watch
Erling Haaland
The Norwegian striker has been in impressive form this season, scoring 14 goals in all competitions already. He will look to continue his goalscoring run against a struggling Brighton defence. With the return of Kevin De Bruyne, Haaland is likely to get more opportunities, and he could cause all sorts of problems for the home team with his physicality and finishing ability.
Haaland has netted only one goal in his last five Premier League appearances after he scored 10 in the opening five matches of this campaign. So, the 24-year-old will be eager to rediscover his bests touch and help Manchester City return to winning ways.
Prediction
Brighton & Hove Albion 1-3 Manchester City
Manchester City have an exceptional record against Brighton & Hove Albion, and they should be able to extend it. Despite their recent struggles, the champions are a formidable side, and they have the quality to grind out a comprehensive victory here. Brighton are struggling as well, and they are likely to crash to their third consecutive defeat in all competitions.