Man City vs. Brighton team news: Erling Haaland among five players to miss EFL Cup tie as Enzo Maresca issues update

By Oliver Thomas | 27 Oct 2026 11:18, Last updated: 27 Oct 2026 11:49

Erling Haaland volition miss Manchester City’s EFL Cup fourth-round necktie astatine location against Brighton & Hove Albion connected Wednesday night, manager Enzo Maresca has confirmed.

The prolific Norwegian recovered from a sound to his ft to people successful City’s 2-1 Premier League decision astatine Aston Villa past play – his 13th extremity successful 11 appearances crossed each competitions.

Haaland, who finished eighth successful the 2026 Ballon d’Or rankings, besides has an impressive scoring grounds against Brighton, netting 7 times successful his past 7 encounters with the Seagulls.

However, Man City’s No.9 is 1 of 5 first-team stars who volition not beryllium progressive connected Wednesday on with Gianluigi Donnarumma, Elliot Anderson, Josko Gvardiol and skipper Ruben Dias.

Speaking astatine a property league connected Tuesday morning, Maresca allayed wounded fears implicit the Citizens quintet and confirmed that the determination has been made to springiness them an further play of rest.

Haaland, Anderson, Dias, Gvardiol, Donnarumma to miss Brighton cupful clash

"After the Villa crippled (last Saturday), we gave 5 players 3 days off," Maresca, told reporters. "Erling, Ruben, Elliot, Gigi and Josko. They are each connected holiday. Three days off, energy, go, travel backmost afloat of vigor and past spell again.”

This determination comes aft Maresca told reporters earlier this period that he needs to remainder immoderate of his first-team stars during the club’s engaged fixture schedule, peculiarly those who person besides played regularly for their countries astatine the World Cup and during the caller planetary break.

In the lack of first-choice goalkeeper Donnarumma, Maresca has besides confirmed that summertime signing Geronimo Rulli volition commencement betwixt the sticks for his 2nd quality for the club.

Rulli kept a cleanable expanse connected his Man City debut successful the 5-0 location triumph implicit Norwich City successful the EFL Cup 3rd circular past month.

It was besides a memorable nighttime for 17-year-old academy postgraduate Floyd Samba, who scored a brace connected his afloat Man City debut, and helium could beryllium handed different commencement up beforehand successful Haaland’s lack against Brighton.

Marc Guehi, Vitor Reis and Abdukodir Khusanov are each contenders to commencement astatine centre-back successful the lack of Dias, portion Nico O'Reilly and Rayan Ait-Nouri are acceptable to conflict for a commencement astatine left-back present that Gvardiol is being fixed a rest.

In the lack of Anderson, chap summertime signing Ayyoub Bouaddi could beryllium recalled successful centre-midfield, with Enzo Fernandez and Mateo Kovacic besides contenders to commencement successful the mediate of the pitch.

Maresca preparing for 2 “tough games” against Brighton

Man City are preparing to look Brighton doubly wrong the abstraction of conscionable 4 days, with their EFL Cup necktie followed by different location brushwood successful the Premier League connected Saturday - first versus 3rd successful the table.

"First of all, [Brighton] are doing precise well; some games are going to beryllium pugnacious games,” said Maresca. “In presumption of however we program the 2 games, they are truthful adjacent truthful we request to marque immoderate changes.

“But again, we person 1 much league this day and past we'll determine (on a starting lineup) for time and Saturday.

"They are precise brave successful presumption of aggression and erstwhile they person the ball, they onslaught with truthful galore players and are creating galore chances, scoring galore goals, truthful we request to wage attraction defensively and we request to bash the close things offensively."

Brighton person drawn wide praise passim play some for their free-scoring displays and connection victories successful the Premier League, including a 3-0 location triumph implicit champions Arsenal past month.

The Seagulls besides bushed Man United 3-2 successful the EFL Cup 3rd round, but they are seeking to bounce backmost from a Premier League decision past weekend, losing 2-0 astatine Liverpool, portion they person ne'er beaten the Citizens distant from location successful 17 erstwhile attempts (D3 L14).