Brighton & Hove Albion vs Manchester City

Amex Stadium is the venue as Brighton & Hove Albion and Manchester City go head-to-head in an exciting Premier League meeting.

Back-to-back high-scoring defeats against Liverpool across the EFL Cup (2-3) and the Premier League (1-2) extended Brighton’s winless run to three matches (D1, L2). Despite those setbacks, the Seagulls enter this round inside the top eight, courtesy of a phenomenal league start under new manager Fabian Hurzeler (W4, D4, L2). 31-year-old Hurzeler’s credentials are about to face a stern test in the shape of a Man City side they’ve lost to 12 times in their 14 previous Premier League H2Hs (W1, D1), conceding a staggering 40 goals along the way. On the flipside, Brighton have yet to lose a league match in East Sussex this term (W2, D3), bagging at least two goals in four of those five outings.

Meanwhile, Manchester City’s difficulties since losing Ballon d’Or winner Rodri to injury hit a new low during midweek UEFA Champions League action as Sporting Lisbon trounced them 4-1. That result marked City’s third consecutive defeat in the same campaign for the first time since April 2018, underscoring their inability to thrive without the Spanish midfielder. It’s up to Pep Guardiola to shake his team upafter a 2-1 defeat at Bournemouth last weekend as he faces the risk of losing back-to-back league games in charge of the Citizens for only the fourth time. Prone to slow starts, Guardiola’s men have ominously conceded the opening goal in five of their first ten Premier League fixtures this season.