Manchester City will host Brighton & Hove Albion at the Etihad on Saturday, eager to bounce back from the disappointing defeat against Nottingham Forest last week.
They are currently fifth in the league table and they will be pushing for Champions League qualification for the next season. They cannot afford to keep dropping points at this stage of the season and they will look to grind out a positive result at home.
On the other hand, Brighton are coming into this game on the back of four consecutive league victories, and they will look to pull off an upset here. Manchester City have been quite inconsistent this season and the visitors will certainly fancy their chances here.
The home team have an impressive record against Brighton and they are unbeaten in five of the last six meetings between the two teams. With that said, Brighton managed to beat Manchester City in the league back in November and they will hope to complete a league double over the champions.
Team News & Tactics
Manchester City
Manchester City will be without Rodri due to a knee injury. John Stones and Manuel Akanji will miss out with thigh and groin injuries respectively. Nathan Ake has an ankle injury.
Manchester City will shape up in a 4-2-3-1 formation, with Ederson Moraes in goal.
Rico Lewis and Josko Gvardiol will start as the full-backs, and they will look to contribute at both ends of the pitch. Ruben Dias will start in central defence alongside Abdukodir Khusanov.
llkay Gundogan will add control and composure to the side from the deep. Nico Gonzalez will add creativity and control alongside him.
Kevin De Bruyne will start as the attacking midfielder, and he will look to create goalscoring opportunities for his teammates.
Jeremy Doku and Phil Foden will start in the wide areas, and they will add pace and flair to the side. Erling Haaland is set to lead the line.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Ederson; Lewis, Dias, Khusanov, Gvardiol; Gundogan, Gonzalez; Foden, De Bruyne, Doku; Haaland
Brighton & Hove Albion
The away side will be without James Milner due to a thigh injury, Igor Julio due to a hamstring injury, Jason Steele due to a shoulder injury, Lewis Dunk due to a chest problem, Joel Veltman due to an ankle injury, and Ferdi Kadioglu is out with an ankle issue.
Brighton will shape up in a 4-2-3-1 formation, with Bart Verbruggen in goal.
Tariq Lamptey and Pervis Estupinan will start as the full-backs. They will look to keep things compact at the back and hit Manchester City on the break. Jan Paul van Hecke will start in central defence alongside Adam Webster.
Yasin Ayari and Carlos Baleba will start in the midfield pivot, and they will look to win the ball back for their side and break down the opposition’s attacking moves.
Georginio Rutter will start as the attacking midfielder, and he will look to create goalscoring opportunities for his teammates. Simon Adingra and Kaoru Mitoma will start in the wide areas. They will look to add pace and flair to the side.
Joao Pedro will lead the line for Brighton.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Verbruggen; Lamptey, van Hecke, Webster, Estupinan; Baleba, Ayari; Adingra, Rutter, Mitoma; Pedro
Key Stats
Player to watch out for
Erling Haaland
The Norwegian striker has been in phenomenal form this season and he will look to continue his goal scoring run against Brighton. The visitors have been quite vulnerable defensively and they have conceded 40 goals in 28 league matches. Manchester City have the creativity and cutting edge in the final third to trouble them, and Haaland will look to trouble the away defence with his movement and finishing ability. Manchester City will depend on him to find the back of the net and help them grind out a victory.
Prediction
Manchester City 2-1 Brighton
Both teams will look to pick up all three points here and this is likely to be a cracking contest. Neither side are defensive in their approach and there is likely to be a substantial amount of chances for either side. Both teams are likely to get on the score sheet here, but Manchester City have more quality and depth in the final third, and they should be able to grind out a narrow victory.