Manchester City vs Brighton & Hove Albion - prediction, team news, lineups

Two teams bidding to rapidly bounce backmost from Premier League disappointment astatine the play quadrate disconnected successful the EFL Cup 4th circular connected Wednesday night, arsenic holders Manchester City play big to Brighton & Hove Albion.

This Etihad Stadium brushwood is the archetypal of a quickfire double-header betwixt the 2 clubs, who volition fastener horns again successful the Premier League conscionable 3 days later.

Match preview

After starting beingness nether Enzo Maresca with 7 consecutive Premier League wins, Man City’s flawless top-flight grounds came to an extremity astatine a familiarly unhappy hunting crushed arsenic they fell to a 2-1 decision astatine Aston Villa connected Saturday – their 4th consecutive nonaccomplishment astatine Villa Park.

The Citizens missed retired connected breaking an all-time nine grounds for successive league wins astatine the commencement of a campaign, which has remarkably stood since 1897-98. Instead, conceding 2 preventable goals either broadside of fractional clip outgo them dearly, and the decision has allowed champions Arsenal to gully level astatine the top of the table.

Defensive concerns for Man City person grown successful caller weeks, arsenic they person conceded 9 times crossed their past 4 matches successful each competitions and person not kept a azygous cleanable expanse successful this run; they shipped 8 goals successful their erstwhile 9 matches astatine the commencement of the campaign.

Maresca’s men volition reason October with back-to-back battles against Brighton – the third-highest scorers successful Europe (34) – and they caput into Wednesday’s contention seeking to debar a 3rd decision successful 5 matches crossed each competitions.

Man City – nine-time EFL Cup winners chasing Liverpool’s all-time grounds of 10 triumphs – cruised to a 5-0 location triumph implicit Norwich City successful the 3rd circular past month. However, they are without a triumph successful 4 meetings with Brighton (D2 L2) and person suffered EFL Cup elimination earlier circular 5 successful 3 of the past 5 seasons.

After scoring 3 oregon much goals successful 5 matches retired of six crossed each competitions, including a 5-0 hammering of M23 rivals Crystal Palace, Fabian Hurzeler’s free-scoring Brighton outfit has since drawn a blank crossed their past 2 games against FK Baumit Jablonec and Liverpool.

A goalless Conference League stalemate successful Czechia against Jablonec was followed 3 days aboriginal by a 2-0 Premier League decision against Liverpool astatine Anfield, wherever the Seagulls boasted 64% of possession but amazingly managed lone 1 changeable connected target.

It was a “missed opportunity” for Hurzeler who boldly claimed that his Brighton broadside were the lone squad who “tried to make and win” connected Merseyside. Nevertheless, the Seagulls stay 3rd successful the Premier League array and already 5 points wide of Brentford successful sixth spot.

Up adjacent for Brighton is the 3rd of 5 successive distant matches crossed a gruelling 16-day period. The Seagulls person ne'er beaten Man City distant from location successful 17 erstwhile attempts (D3 L14), though they did unafraid draws successful their past 2 league visits (2-2 successful March 2025 and 1-1 successful January 2026).

Brighton’s EFL Cup grounds besides leaves a batch to beryllium desired, arsenic they person been knocked retired successful the 4th circular successful 5 of the past six years – losing 2-0 astatine Arsenal past play – and person not progressed beyond the 4th circular since 1978-79.

However, the Seagulls pulled disconnected an awesome 3-2 comeback triumph connected the reddish broadside of Manchester successful circular 3 past month, storming backmost from 2 goals down astatine fractional clip to bushed a wounded Man United broadside 3-2 astatine Old Trafford.

Manchester City EFL Cup form:

Manchester City signifier (all competitions):

Brighton & Hove Albion EFL Cup form:

Brighton & Hove Albion signifier (all competitions):

Team News

Man City’s lone injured subordinate is Antoine Semenyo (knee). Matheus Nunes and Nico O'Reilly were some unused substitutes against Villa aft recovering from insignificant issues and are disposable to commencement arsenic full-backs connected Wednesday.

Gianluigi Donnarumma, who was astatine responsibility for the 2nd extremity City conceded astatine Villa, could beryllium replaced by caller cupful goalkeeper Geronimo Rulli, portion Phil Foden,  Ayyoub Bouaddi, Mateo Kovacic, Allan and Ryan McAiddo are besides contenders to gain a callback should Maresca freshen up his archetypal XI.

Erling Haaland has recovered the nett 13 times successful 11 appearances this term, but aft scoring and playing 90 minutes astatine Villa aft recovering from a swollen foot, Maresca whitethorn beryllium tempted to seat his prima striker against Brighton.

Seventeen-year-old Floyd Samba, who netted a brace connected his elder debut successful the third-round triumph implicit Norwich, could beryllium the chosen 1 to pb the enactment if Haaland is rested.

As for Brighton, they are sweating implicit the fittingness of full-back Ferdi Kadioglu and midfielder Chema Andres who were forced disconnected successful the decision to Liverpool with respective hep and musculus problems.

It remains to beryllium seen whether either Mats Wieffer (knee) oregon Yankuba Minteh (ankle) volition beryllium acceptable to instrumentality having made advancement successful their betterment from semipermanent injuries, portion Kaoru Mitoma, Femi Azeez, Pascal Struijk (all thigh), Evan Ferguson (ankle) and Stefanos Tzimas (knee) each stay sidelined.

Hurzeler is apt to marque changes to his starting lineup, with Costinha and Jaouen Hadjam beardown contenders to commencement arsenic full-backs, portion Jack Hinshelwood, Malick Yalcouye and Matt O'Riley volition each propulsion for a callback successful midfield.

Charalampos Kostoulas has scored a team-high 5 goals successful each competitions this season, including 1 successful the third-round triumph astatine Old Trafford, but 19-year-old could beryllium replaced up beforehand by Georginio Rutter.

Manchester City imaginable starting lineup:

Rulli; Lewis, Khusanov, Dias, O'Reilly; Bouaddi, Kovacic; Allan, Foden, Doku; Haaland

Brighton & Hove Albion imaginable starting lineup:

Steele; Costinha, Vuskovic, Dunk, Hadjam; Gross, Yalcouye; Gomez, Hinshelwood, Osman; Rutter

We say: Manchester City 3-2 Brighton & Hove Albion

A compelling, end-to-end cupful necktie should beryllium successful store astatine the Etihad betwixt the lone 2 Premier League sides to breach the 20-goal milestone already this season.

Man City's persistent antiaircraft vulnerabilities volition connection plentifulness of encouragement to Brighton, but with some managers expected to shuffle their packs, we are backing the hosts to outgun the Seagulls and borderline a high-scoring matter to advancement to circular five.

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