Manchester City vs. Brighton & Hove Albion: EPL Match Preview, Odds & Predictions

When they host Brighton & Hove Albion at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday afternoon, Manchester City will be looking to reclaim the top four of the Premier League standings.

After losing 2-1 in the first meeting at the Amex Stadium four months ago, the Citizens will be out for vengeance against the Seagulls.

Previous Matches and Head-to-head

The 1-0 loss at the City Ground last weekend prevented Man City from moving up to third position; the game was mostly dull until Callum Hudson-Odoi scored seven minutes into injury time. Nottingham Forest won the match by a similar score.

Nine Premier League losses for City this season is equal to Pep Guardiola's career high for a single campaign (he also had nine in 2019–20).  Beating the opposition on Saturday would make City the first reigning champions to lose ten or more Premier League matches in a single season since Chelsea in 2017–18. This achievement has not been achieved since 2015–16.

Man City are currently in fifth place in the league after 28 games, two points behind Chelsea in fourth and just five points ahead of Fulham in tenth. Guardiola claims that his team is preparing for "ten finals" in the Premier League as they are competing fiercely for a spot in next season's Champions League.

Though they normally enjoy playing at home, Manchester City have lost four of their past eight Premier League matches at Old Trafford (W4, D1, L3).  Manchester City are now trying to avoid losing back-to-back home league games for the second time under Guardiola. The last time this happened was in April/May of 2021, after a 2-0 loss to league leaders Liverpool.

Manchester City have won their past ten home matches in a row, never lost a home match against Brighton overall (W12 D2), and played an opponent at home without losing 14 times in league history should provide some solace.

After a 7-0 thrashing by Nottingham Forest in early February, Brighton have rebounded in spectacular fashion, winning six straight games across all categories, including four straight in the Premier League—the longest such streak in the league.

Brighton advanced to the quarterfinals of the FA Cup with a 2-1 extra-time triumph over Newcastle only six days ago. Last weekend, they rallied from behind to earn three important Premier League points with a 2-1 home win against Fulham, thanks to a penalty goal by Joao Pedro in the 98th minute.

Despite his team's seventh-place finish and just three points behind the top four, Fabian Hurzeler, 32, has said that next season's Champions League qualification is "not in the discussion" at the club. Hurzeler praised Brighton's "deserved" win after the match.

Despite a winless record away to Manchester City in fourteen meetings, Brighton will go to the Etihad Stadium this weekend. They have been tough to overcome on the road lately, dropping just two of their past eleven matches across all competitions (W6, D3).

Brighton have come back from behind twice to beat Manchester City in the Premier League at home. Only Manchester United have won more games against Guardiola while being in a worse league position, with three.  The Seagulls are aiming to accomplish their first-ever league double against the Citizens in what is the fifteenth separate season in which they have met, after their come-from-behind 2-1 victory over City in November.

Manchester City x Brighton & Hove Albion Team News

It is unclear when Oscar Bobb (ankle/fitness) will return to the first team, adding to Man City's injury list that includes Rodri (ACL), Nathan Ake (foot), Manuel Akanji (abductor), and John Stones (thigh).

Guardiola will consider bringing back Rico Lewis or keeping Matheus Nunes at right back, while Abdukodir Khusanov, Ruben Dias, and Josko Gvardiol are anticipated to maintain their positions in the defense.

Despite having scored eight goals against Brighton, Phil Foden is currently not playing well and could be benched in favor of Omar Marmoush or Kevin De Bruyne. De Bruyne has two goals and three assists in four home matches against Brighton, while Foden has scored eight goals against no team in his career.

Speaking of Brighton, they will evaluate captain Lewis Dunk (rib), Joel Veltman (knock), and Matt O'Riley (knee) before kickoff, but players like Ferdi Kadioglu (toe), Igor Julio (thigh), James Milner (hamstring), and Jason Steele (shoulder) will not be able to play.

However, Tariq Lamptey may return from his one-match ban last weekend and is expected to start at right back. This might mean that Jack Hinshelwood moves to center midfield to play with Carlos Baleba or Yasin Ayari.

Although Danny Welbeck is vying for a starting role up front, Hurzeler may choose to start Georginio Rutter behind Joao Pedro, who has scored in his previous three league games, despite Welbeck's goal-scoring drought against Man City (nineteen attempts).

Our Predictions

Manchester City to win @ 1.69 on Sky247.ng

On Saturday, expect goals. Brighton has scored in 26 of their last 29 matches in all competitions, including two in their last four league games. Man City has scored in all 15 Premier League meetings with Brighton, but they have only kept six clean sheets in their last 30 matches this season.

Brighton may see this match as their greatest chance to earn their first away victory against Man City, given their current form and City's unreliability.  Nevertheless, we predict that the home team will find a way to win by capitalizing on Brighton's high defensive line.

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