Preview
Manchester City vs Brighton – Preview, and Prediction
Manchester City vs Brighton – Following consecutive losses to Wolves and Arsenal in the preceding two rounds, Manchester City dropped to third position in the Premier League standings.
Pep Guardiola and his team have already lost three straight domestic games, if we include the League Cup loss to Newcastle. However, the players are prepared to bounce back following the international break.
The Citizens play Brighton in what might turn out to be a difficult game, but we believe they have a good chance of winning here for a number of key reasons.
The most significant is Rodri’s return to the starting lineup. Guardiola has been missing his key central midfield player greatly in the last two league games, particularly the away match against Arsenal two weeks ago.
With Rodri in the lineup, City’s style of play appears much more structured. Erling Haaland is another player we anticipate going back to his former ways, having failed to score in four straight Man City games across all competitions.
The high line and porous defense of Brighton will undoubtedly provide the Norwegian striker with plenty of room to operate in the final third.
It’s no secret that Roberto De Zerbi coaches the Seagulls, who play incredibly attractive football. With 21 goals in 8 games, they lead the league in goal scoring.
But there are major issues at the back. Brighton has 16 goals allowed this season, which is their third-worst defensive record.
In the last three matches in all competitions, they have given up ten goals, with six of those coming against Aston Villa on the road.
Lewis Dunk’s late goal helped Brighton hold Liverpool to a 2-2 draw at The Amex last Saturday, but it is difficult to be hopeful about their prospects of defeating the very competitive defending champions on the road at the Etihad.
Manchester City vs Brighton – Betting Analysis
At the Etihad, where they have lost nine and drawn two of their previous eleven games, Brighton has rarely given Man City any trouble.
In their previous four meetings with the Seagulls, Manchester City had won three and drawn one, with the team scoring three goals or more in each of those games.
In the previous five head-to-head encounters between these two fierce adversaries, each team has scored at least one goal in four of those five contests.
Brighton has scored 10 goals in their last three games across all competitions, while Manchester City has only managed to keep their net empty once in the last nine games across all competitions.
What are the best odds for the game?
Looking at what the bookmakers’ view is of this game on the 90 min. result market, victory for Manchester City is best priced at 1.43, backing the draw is 5.35, and staking on a victory for Brighton & Hove Albion gets 6.8. These are the top bets on offer as of now.
Manchester City vs Brighton – Head-to-Head
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