Premier League | Gameweek 11

Nov 9, 2024 at 5.30pm UK

Broadfield Stadium

Brighton vs Man City

Match preview

It's the first time since April 2018 that Man City have lost three games in a row, and the club are going through a rough patch, according to Bernardo Silva. Pep Guardiola has a different take, but the Citizens are still reeling from a disappointing week across three different competitions.

Man City lost 2-1 to Tottenham Hotspur (EFL Cup) and Bournemouth (Premier League) before being beaten 4-1 by Sporting Lisbon in the Champions League on Tuesday night. That result ended City's record-breaking 26-game unbeaten run in the competition, which was set under the management of Pep Guardiola.

Guardiola says he's up for the challenge at Man City. The team will be looking to turn things around and end the international break on a high by beating Brighton this weekend. If they win, they'll be back at the top of the Premier League table, but only for a few hours if Liverpool beat Aston Villa on Saturday evening.

City's defeat at Bournemouth last weekend – which ended their club-record 32-game unbeaten league run – saw them slip to second in the top-flight standings, with Arne Slot's in-form Liverpool moving two points clear at the summit after beating Brighton 2-1 at Anfield.

Man City's first-team resources may be running low, and their defensive weaknesses are a big worry, but there's reason to be optimistic about success on Saturday. They've already collected 37 points from a possible 42 against Brighton in the Premier League (W12 D1 L1).

Brighton lost 3-2 to Liverpool in the last 16 of the EFL Cup just under 72 hours ago. They also lost to the Merseysiders in the Premier League last weekend, despite putting in a spirited performance at Anfield.

Ferdi Kadioglu, who joined the club in the summer, scored Brighton's first goal with his first strike for the club. They were in the lead for a lot of the game until two second-half goals in 128 seconds from Cody Gakpo and Mohamed Salah turned the match around. The Reds eventually beat the Seagulls, who have only lost twice in the league this season.

Fabian Hurzeler – who has seen his Brighton side slip to eighth in the table, albeit only three points behind third spot – felt that his side missed a "big chance" to beat Liverpool. He's urged his players to perform 'at their maximum' if they want to win games against the top sides in the future.

Brighton have dropped 10 points from winning positions in the Premier League this season, which is only four points fewer than they did in the whole of last season. Four of those points were dropped in their only two defeats of the season, against Liverpool last weekend and Chelsea (4-2) in September.

The Seagulls have gone five matches at the Amex without a loss (W2 D3). Only in 1982-83 have they had a longer unbeaten home run at the start of a top-flight campaign (seven). It's not a given that they'll extend that run on Saturday, though. They've lost 13 of their last 15 meetings with Man City in all competitions, most recently suffering a 4-0 home defeat in April.

Recent Performance

Brighton & Hove Albion Premier League form:DLWWDL

Brighton & Hove Albion form (all competitions):LWWDLL

Manchester City Premier League form:DDWWWL

Manchester City form (all competitions):WWWLLL

Team News

The Brighton trio Solly March (ACL), James Milner and Adam Webster (both thigh) are all hoping to be back in action after the international break. However, Hurzeler has confirmed that both Joao Pedro and Matt O'Riley are in with a "good chance" of making the matchday squad after spells out with ankle injuries.

Lewis Dunk (calf) and Yankuba Minteh (muscle) are both unlikely to play and will be assessed ahead of kick-off, while Yasin Ayari (ankle) might be an option for the weekend after coming off against Liverpool with an ankle problem. Carlos Baleba didn't play at Anfield because of a knee problem, but he should be fit to play against Man City.

In-form striker Danny Welbeck has scored six goals in 10 Premier League games this season, but he's never found the net in 19 previous top-flight meetings with Man City. The 33-year-old is still expected to start up front with Georginio Rutter and Kaoru Mitoma.

In terms of Man City, Rodri (ACL) and Oscar Bobb (leg fracture) are still out for the long term, while Ruben Dias, John Stones and Jack Grealish are all dealing with unspecified issues and aiming to return after the international break.

Kevin De Bruyne has been back in the squad for the last two games after a nine-game injury layoff. He came on as a substitute in the closing stages against Sporting. It doesn't look like the playmaker will start on Saturday as he's still building up his fitness, but he could come off the bench.

Guardiola will decide whether to start Kyle Walker or Rico Lewis at right-back, while 19-year-old Jahmai Simpson-Pusey, who played for the first time for Man City on Tuesday, could be replaced in central defence by Nathan Ake.

Jeremy Doku will be hoping to force his way into the first XI after making two substitute appearances since recovering from injury, while Erling Haaland is expected to lead the line once again, even though he has scored just once in his last five league games and also missed a penalty in the Champions League in midweek.

Possible starting lineups

Brighton & Hove Albion possible starting lineup:

Verbruggen; Veltman, Van Hecke, Igor, Estupinan; Kadioglu, Hinshelwood, Baleba, Mitoma; Rutter, Welbeck

Manchester City possible starting lineup:

Ederson; Walker, Akanji, Ake, Gvardiol; Kovacic, Gundogan; Savinho, Foden, Doku; Haaland