Brighton v Man City – Preview, Predictions, and Best Bets

Brighton host Man City on Thursday in the English Premier League. City are on a run of one loss in 37 matches across all competitions. The Seagulls have lost 12 of their last 14 matches vs Pep Guardiola’s team.

Brighton Form

Brighton’s last 13 league matches have seen just three wins and they’ve dropped to tenth in the league table. After a 5-0 win away at ten-man Sheffield United, it’s two wins in 10 matches. There was a run of three losses which included a 3-0 defeat at Fulham and a 4-0 loss at AS Roma.

Successive 1-0 home wins followed that losing streak, vs Nottingham Forest and AS Roma in the second leg. It’s now four matches without victory. They lost 2-1 at Liverpool with 30 shots allowed. A 0-0 draw at Bournemouth was followed by a 3-0 home loss to Arsenal. Their last match needed an equaliser in a 1-1 draw at Burnley.

Brighton Team News

Roberto De Zerbi could be without up to ten players for this one. Wingers Solly March and Kaoru Mitoma are ruled out and so are midfielders Jack Hinshelwood and Billy Gilmour. This match could come too soon for James Milner and Adam Webster too.

Four other players are question marks. Tariq Lamptey has a muscle injury and both Evan Ferguson and Julio Enciso are dealing with knocks. Pervis Estupinan has an ankle complaint and will need a late fitness test.

Brighton Motivation

Brighton will want to start another unbeaten home streak after the defeat to Arsenal. They will try to attack and assert themselves on Man City.

A draw would be a great result on paper but De Zerbi is not expected to play defensively or settle for a point.

Man City Form

City have 23 wins in the last 29 matches. The last nine fixtures have seen five wins with four draws. They draw 1-1 at Liverpool after being dominated before beating Newcastle 2-0 in the FA Cup and drawing 0-0 at home to Arsenal with a paltry one shot on target. A 4-1 win over Aston Villa followed.

After beating Crystal Palace 4-2, City went to Real Madrid and drew 3-3 in the Champions League quarter-finals first leg. Before the second leg, they beat Luton 5-1 in a one-sided affair. A 1-1 home draw vs Los Blancos was followed by a heartbreaking loss on penalties. City bounced back to beat Chelsea 1-0 in the FA Cup semi-finals on Saturday.

Man City Team News

City have two injury concerns. Erling Haaland is doubtful with some muscle discomfort and John Stones looked to be struggling at Wembley on Saturday. Ederson is set to return in goal after being rested in that cup game.

Pep Guardiola could make some changes to keep his side fresh. Ruben Dias is expected to return in defence and so is Josko Gvardiol. Jeremy Doku may replace Jack Grealish down the left. Julian Alvarez is set to lead the attack if Haaland misses out.

Man City Motivation

City can win a domestic double and know only a win here will do. They begin this match with a four-point gap to Arsenal with two games in hand.

They will look to control the match and get a lead, before managing the rest of the clash to conserve energy.

Key Stats

Brighton have won just 3 of their last 13 league matches

Brighton have lost 12 of their last 14 matches vs Man City

Man City have won 21 of their last 26 matches (5 draws)

Man City have conceded in 5 of their last 6 matches (8 goals leaked)

Man City have scored 4+ goals in their last 3 league matches

Verdict

Guardiola’s side should have too much for a limping Brighton side. The hosts have enough to score a goal in the clash though.

Best Bet: Man City win and both teams to score at 2.75
Alternate Bet: Man City win (-1 handicap) at 2.15
Goalscorer Tip: Phil Foden to score anytime at 2.40

James O'Connor

James is a football analyst who writes about the tactics of the PSL and English Premier League. He holds the UEFA A coaching licence and has previously worked for several clubs in analysis roles.Twitter: https://twitter.com/footy_analysis