Manchester City will host Brighton & Hove Albion at the Etihad on Wednesday, looking to close the gap to Arsenal.
Manchester City have dropped points in their last two Premier League matches, and they will be desperate to bounce back strongly in the game vs Brighton & Hove Albion. The Citizens are unbeaten in their previous six Premier League matches, and they are indeed the favourites to win here.
On the other hand, Brighton & Hove Albion have picked up just one from the last six Premier League matches. The Seagulls are up against one of the best teams in the country, and it will be interesting to see if they can pull off an upset.
Fabian Hurzeler’s men are unbeaten in the last three meetings against Manchester City, and they have picked up two wins in that time. Manchester City have struggled against Brighton in recent meetings. It remains to be seen who comes out on top. The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at the encounter ahead of the latest meeting between the two sides.
Team News & Tactics
Manchester City
Mateo Kovacic has an ankle problem and Oscar Bobb is struggling with a hamstring issue. Meanwhile, Omar Marmoush and Rayan Ait-Nouri are away due to AFCON. However, Pep Guardiola has several other issues to contend with ahead of the game against Brighton & Hove Albion.
Ruben Dias (knock) and Josko Gvardiol (calf) are ruled out for the foreseeable future after limping off in the game against Chelsea this past weekend. Meanwhile, Guardiola is sweating over the fitness of Nico Gonzalez and Savinho, with the duo struggling with knocks.
Manchester City will shape up in their usual 4-2-3-1 formation vs Brighton & Hove Albion, with Gianluigi Donnarumma in goal. Matheus Nunes and Nico O’Reilly will start as the full-backs. They will keep things tight at the back and help out in the final third. Meanwhile, Abdukodir Khusanov and Nathan Ake will form the central defensive unit, getting rare starts at the back.
As for the midfield unit, Rodri will start in the middle of the park and look to control the tempo of the game from deep, with Tijjani Reijnders playing as the floating midfielder. Rayan Cherki and Phil Foden will start as advanced midfielders, bringing creativity to the side.
Finally, Jeremy Doku will add pace, flair and goals from the flanks, with Erling Haaland spearheading the Manchester City attack vs Brighton & Hove Albion at the Etihad on Wednesday night.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Donnarumma; Nunes, Khusanov, Ake, O’Reilly; Rodri, Reijnders; Foden, Cherki, Doku; Haaland
Brighton & Hove Albion
Fabian Hurzeler will be without Adam Webster, Solly March, and Stefanos Tzimas due to knee injuries, while Mats Wieffer is struggling with a toe issue. Carlos Baleba is still away at AFCON with Cameroon. Hurzeler is also sweating over Yankuba Minteh’s fitness due to a thigh complaint.
Brighton & Hove Albion are likely to shape up in their usual 4-2-3-1 formation vs Manchester City, with Bart Verbruggen in goal. Joel Veltman and Ferdi Kadioglu will start as the full-backs. They will look to keep things tight at the back and help out in the attack. Jan Paul van Hecke and Lewis Dunk will pair up at the heart of the defence.
As for the midfield unit, Yasin Ayari and James Milner will look to add defensive cover and drive to the side. Georginio Rutter will start as the attacking midfielder, and he will look to help create opportunities in the final third.
Diego Gomez and Kaoru Mitoma will start on the flanks. They will look to add pace and unpredictability to the attack. Finally, Danny Welbeck will lead the line for Brighton & Hove Albion vs Manchester City on Wednesday.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Verbruggen; Veltman, van Hecke, Dunk, Kadioglu; Ayari, Milner; Gomez, Rutter, Mitoma; Welbeck
Key Stats
- Manchester City have picked up two wins from their last six matches against Brighton & Hove Albion.
- 19 goals have been scored in the last six matches between these two teams.
- Manchester City are unbeaten in their last six Premier League matches.
- Brighton & Hove Albion are without a win in five of their last six Premier League matches.
- Brighton & Hove Albion are unbeaten in the last three meetings against Manchester City.
Player to Watch
Erling Haaland
The Manchester City striker is in sublime form, consistently scoring goals. He is our key player to watch. Manchester City will need him to step up and produce a defining performance if they want to pick up all three points.
Brighton & Hove Albion have been quite vulnerable defensively, and they will struggle to contain the Norwegian international. He will help create opportunities for his teammates with his link-up and find the back of the net as well. With Haaland being the go-to man for Pep Guardiola, it is little wonder that he is our go-to captaincy candidate for FPL in Gameweek 21.
Prediction
Manchester City 2-1 Brighton & Hove Albion
Both teams will be fighting for a victory here, and this is likely to be a close contest. On paper, Manchester City are the better team, but they will need to raise their performance levels to pick up all three points.
Brighton & Hove Albion are likely to make life difficult for the home team, but Manchester City have enough quality and depth to see them through. They should be able to grind out a narrow victory here. The Hard Tackle predicts a 2-1 win for Pep Guardiola and his charges.
