Manchester City will be eager to bounce back from a disappointing defeat against Tottenham with victory over Brighton on Sunday.
Pep Guardiola takes his side to the Amex Stadium following a 2-0 loss to Spurs at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday, which dampened the mood a little following an exciting 4-0 win over Wolves on the opening weekend.
In fairness, Manchester City ought to have received a penalty after Micky van de Ven fouled Oscar Bobb.
Nevertheless, there has been a positive omen for Manchester City ahead of the trip to Brighton after the Premier League put Darren England in charge of the game.
Manchester City boast 100% win record under Darren England and five penalties
The 39-year-old is something of a lucky charm for the Citizens.
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England has officiated nine games involving Manchester City throughout his career, and the Citizens have won all nine.
Referee: Darren England
Assistants: Scott Ledger, Akil Howson
Fourth official: Simon Hooper
VAR: Paul Tierney
Assistant VAR: Nick Greenhalgh.
The man born in Doncaster has also awarded five penalties to Manchester City in these nine outings, brandishing 11 yellow cards and one red card.
Darren England once helped Manchester City out of a hole against Crystal Palace
England was also the referee when Manchester City beat Crystal Palace 4-2 back in August 2022, although the game almost got away from Guardiola as the Eagles thought they had taken a 3-0 lead.
Odsonne Edouard intercepted a throw from Ederson, leaving Jordan Ayew free to tap into an empty net.
However, England adjudged the French striker to have prevented the Brazilian from releasing the ball, ruling the goal out and awarding Manchester City a free-kick instead.
That is not to suggest by any means that England deliberately gives Manchester City any preferential treatment – it is merely clear to see Guardiola’s side just happen to succeed when he has the whistle.