Man City Clash with Brighton: Bold Predictions, Key Lineups and What to Expect
Manchester City welcomes Brighton & Hove Albion to the Etihad Stadium on Wednesday evening, as the home side seeks to return to winning form following consecutive stalemates.
Pep Guardiola's squad has fallen behind in the championship race and enters this midweek fixture trailing Arsenal by six points. A victory against Brighton would apply pressure on Mikel Arteta's Arsenal before their encounter with defending champions Liverpool on Thursday.
Although City has experienced multiple setbacks during away matches this campaign, their performance at home has been remarkably strong. Securing eight wins from ten home Premier League matches has been crucial to their title pursuit, and they'll anticipate claiming a ninth victory when Brighton visits.
The Citizens must remain cautious of their visiting opponents, particularly given their earlier defeat on the south coast this season—Brajan Gruda's late strike sealed a comeback win for Brighton.
Here's Sports Illustrated's match preview.
What Time Does Man City vs. Brighton Kick Off?
Man City vs. Brighton Head-to-Head Record (Last Five Games)
Current Form (All Competitions)
Man City | Brighton |
|---|---|
Man City 1–1 Chelsea - 04/01/26 | Brighton 2–0 Burnley - 03/01/26 |
Sunderland 0–0 Man City - 01/01/26 | West Ham 2–2 Brighton - 30/12/25 |
Nottingham Forest 1–2 Man City - 27/12/25 | Arsenal 2–1 Brighton - 27/12/25 |
Man City 3–0 West Ham - 20/12/25 | Brighton 0–0 Sunderland - 20/12/25 |
Man City 2–0 Brentford - 17/12/25 | Liverpool 2–0 Brighton - 13/12/25 |
How to Watch Man City vs. Brighton on TV, Live Stream
Country | TV channel/live stream |
|---|---|
United Kingdom | Sky Sports Main Event, Sky Ultra HD, Sky GO, Sky GO Extra |
United States | Peacock |
Canada | DAZN Canada, fuboTV Canada, Fubo Sports Network 7 Canada |
Mexico | FOX One |
Man City Team News
City endured two crushing defensive injury setbacks during their weekend stalemate with Chelsea that could significantly impact their championship ambitions. Joško Gvardiol faces months away from action after fracturing his leg, while Rúben Dias will be absent for four to six weeks due to a hamstring problem.
With John Stones already unavailable, Nathan Aké is anticipated to partner Abdukodir Khusanov against Brighton, with City even bringing back Max Alleyne from his Watford loan to provide defensive depth.
Rayan Aït-Nouri and Omar Marmoush continue at the Africa Cup of Nations, while Oscar Bobb, Savinho and Mateo Kovačić are all unavailable due to injuries.
Man City Predicted Lineup vs. Brighton
Man City predicted lineup vs. Brighton (4-2-3-1): Donnarumma; Nunes, Khusanov, Aké, O'Reilly; González, Reijnders; Cherki, Foden, Doku; Haaland.
Brighton Team News
Brighton will remain without key midfielder Carlos Baleba, who continues his international commitments at AFCON. He joins the unavailable list alongside the injured foursome of Mats Wieffer, Solly March, Stefanos Tzimas and Adam Webster.
Yankuba Minteh remains doubtful for the Etihad visit with a dead leg—he was absent from the weekend victory over Burnley—but Fabian Hürzeler expects Kaoru Mitoma should be ready to start consecutive matches for the first time since September.
Brighton Predicted Lineup vs. Man City
Brighton predicted lineup vs. Man City (4-2-3-1): Verbruggen; Veltman, Van Hecke, Dunk, Kadıoğlu; Ayari, Gómez; Gruda, Rutter, Mitoma; Welbeck.
Man City vs. Brighton Score Prediction
Defensive injuries will concern City and motivate Brighton ahead of Wednesday's clash, but the home team will remain heavy favorites—and justifiably so. They have excelled at home this season and possess the offensive quality to exploit a side that has collected just nine points from a possible 30 in away fixtures.
Erling Haaland's goal drought must end soon, while Jérémy Doku's potential return to the starting eleven should create havoc along Brighton's right flank. In Phil Foden and Rayan Cherki, City possess two additional match-winners.
Brighton may find the net, but backing against the home side would be unwise.