Manchester City vs Brighton & Hove Albion

Etihad Stadium is the venue as Manchester City and Brighton & Hove Albion go head-to-head in a handsomely-looking Premier League encounter.

Manchester City’s dreadful Premier League campaign hit another roadblock last weekend as fellow top-four hopefuls Nottingham Forest stunned them 1-0 on the road, inflicting a third competitive loss in five matches for Pep Guardiola’s underachieving crew (W2). Anything other than a win would derail Man City’s chances of avoiding their worst finish under Pep Guardiola, as they could end the season below the top three for the first time since 2016/17. Brighton’s visit should put the smile back on Guardiola’s face, with the Citizens winning ten consecutive league H2Hs at home. Those victories form part of City’s 14-game unbeaten H2H league run on this ground (W12, D2). However, they’ve already lost three top-flight matches at home this season – as many defeats as in the last three campaigns combined.  

Meanwhile, Brighton will aim to complete their first-ever Premier League double over Man City after coming from behind to beat them 2-1 in November’s reverse fixture. Fabian Hurzeler’s men take this trip in a buoyant mood after a 2-1 home triumph against Fulham extended their winning streak in all competitions to six matches – four of which came in the Premier League. Another win would see the Seagulls set a new club record for most consecutive wins in England’s top flight. However, going winless on all four league trips to face current top-five teams this season (D1, L3) paints a bleak picture for the East Sussex outfit.