Injury-Ravaged Man City Forced to Deploy Makeshift Defense Against Brighton
Manchester City aim to recover from back-to-back draws as they welcome Brighton & Hove Albion to the Etihad Stadium.
The Citizens have fallen behind in the championship chase following disappointing ties against Sunderland and Chelsea, leaving them six points adrift of Arsenal at the summit. However, Pep Guardiola's squad, renowned for their relentless finishing kick, will maintain ambitions of overtaking the Gunners.
Injury problems in defense will significantly complicate matters though, as Joško Gvardiol and Rúben Dias have joined John Stones in the treatment room with extended absences. Guardiola must restructure his defensive setup on Wednesday and depend on his collection of brilliant attacking players.
Here's how City might take the field.
Man City Predicted Lineup vs. Brighton (4-2-3-1)
GK: Gianluigi Donnarumma—With City's preferred center-back duo unavailable, Donnarumma should expect a heavier workload in the upcoming weeks and months.
RB: Matheus Nunes—Fabian Hürzeler has verified that Kaoru Mitoma will probably feature at the Etihad, and Nunes faces the challenging assignment of containing the quick-footed Japanese winger.
CB: Abdukodir Khusanov—Khusanov hasn't consistently impressed since his Manchester arrival but now confronts a prolonged spell in the starting eleven due to City's defensive casualties. The club urgently needs him to step up.
CB: Nathan Aké—Aké possesses considerably more experience than Khusanov, and Guardiola will count on the Dutch defender to guide a depleted backline with authority.
LB: Nico O'Reilly—O'Reilly has been overused recently, but Gvardiol and Rayan Aït-Nouri's unavailability leaves no alternative but to field the academy graduate again.
DM: Nico González—After sitting out the Chelsea match due to injury, Guardiola has indicated González should be fit for Brighton. To preserve Rodri's fitness, the 24-year-old might return to the midfield.
DM: Tijjani Reijnders—Reijnders netted a spectacular strike against Chelsea, extending his excellent attacking streak—though he remains 11 goals short of his Milan tally from last campaign.
AM: Phil Foden—Foden has been less prominent lately following a prolific scoring spell, and Guardiola will expect a return to those high levels from his creative midfielder.
RW: Rayan Cherki—Guardiola may worry about overusing Cherki, but the creative Frenchman is essential against Brighton. He can deliver a crucial spark of brilliance when needed.
ST: Erling Haaland—It's unusual for Haaland to go three Premier League matches without finding the net, and even rarer for that drought to extend to four games. He has netted six times in six appearances versus Brighton.
LW: Jérémy Doku—A boost of renewed vigor could arrive through Doku, who has appeared as a substitute in both recent draws after recovering from injury. A duel with 33-year-old Joël Veltman should suit his style.
