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

Aiming to extend a club-record streak and pile the pressure on Premier League leaders Arsenal, Manchester City host Brighton & Hove Albion at the Etihad Stadium on Wednesday evening.

The Sky Blues' hopes of title glory suffered another blow in Sunday's 1-1 draw with Chelsea, but the Seagulls snapped their winless sequence by taking down Burnley 2-0.

Match preview

Facing a managerless Chelsea side devoid of confidence and defenders was seemingly a recipe for success for Man City, and it should have been, as Pep Guardiola's men were in the ascendancy before and after Tijjani Reijnders's opening strike.

However, the Citizens were punished to the maximum for failing to add to their advantage, as Calum McFarlane's Chelsea remarkably hit back through Enzo Fernandez in the dying embers, condemning Guardiola's side to back-to-back draws in the top flight.

While City have been held by Sunderland and Chelsea in the past two gameweeks, Arsenal have been busy racking up the wins to move out of sight of the second-placed hosts, who are now six adrift of the Gunners and only above Aston Villa on goal difference.

The Sky Blues will at least close the gap to three points with victory here before Arsenal host Liverpool on Thursday, but a draw would equal a personal record for Guardiola, who has only ever played out three straight stalemates twice before.

Wednesday is a wonderful day for City to play, though, as they have won their last 22 Premier League matches on the third day of the working week, the longest victorious sequence of any team on a specific day in the competition.

Such a record spells bad news for Brighton, but the Seagulls' recent feats do not, as Fabian Hurzeler's men banished a winless December to the back pages of their annals by easing past Burnley in gameweek 20.

The South Coast side had ended 2025 with a dreary three draws and three losses from their final six games, but Georginio Rutter and Yasin Ayari's efforts were enough to send the Clarets back to Turf Moor empty-handed on Saturday.

As a result, Brighton lie smack-bang in the middle of the Premier League table with just over half of the season gone, and a shock win at the Etihad could bring Hurzeler's men level on points with fifth-placed Chelsea.

City's defensive problems may be piling up, but the Seagulls travel to the Etihad having let in at least two goals in each of their last three away games; not since the 2022-23 season have they suffered a worse sequence.

Hurzeler did mastermind a special 2-1 win for Brighton over Man City at the end of August, but the Sky Blues are unbeaten in all of their previous 15 home league games against the Seagulls, the most they have ever played one team on their own turf without losing.

Manchester City Premier League form:

Manchester City form (all competitions):

Brighton & Hove Albion Premier League form:

Team News

Injury was added to insult for Man City against Chelsea - or two injuries to be precise - as Ruben Dias and Josko Gvardiol came off with serious issues; the former faces four to six weeks out with a hamstring problem, while Gvardiol could miss the rest of the season after a crushing leg fracture.

The pair join Oscar Bobb (thigh), John Stones (unspecified), Mateo Kovacic (ankle), Savinho (unspecified), Rayan Ait-Nouri (AFCON) and Omar Marmoush (AFCON) on City's absentee list, but Nico Gonzalez is at least fit again.

Nathan Ake and Abdukodir Khusanov should be drafted into the backline in Dias and Gvardiol's places, while at the other end, Erling Haaland will hope to avoid going four league starts without a goal for the first time ever.

Meanwhile, Brighton's success over Burnley saw the Seagulls' favourite son Pascal Gross make an emotional return to the Amex Stadium; the German midfielder came on as a second-half substitute after rejoining from Borussia Dortmund.

There is also a slim possibility that Yankuba Minteh (thigh) will be back in midweek, but Mats Wieffer (toe) Carlos Baleba (AFCON), Solly March (knee), Adam Webster (knee) and Stefanos Tzimas (knee) are still out.

Veteran striker Danny Welbeck has never scored in nine league matches at the Etihad, and there is a strong chance that could become 10 on Wednesday, as Charalampos Kostoulas provided an assist on his first Premier League start at the weekend and has done enough to be retained.

Manchester City possible starting lineup:

Donnarumma; Lewis, Khusanov, Ake, O'Reilly; Rodri; Cherki, Foden, Reijnders, Doku; Haaland

Brighton & Hove Albion possible starting lineup:

Verbruggen; Veltman, Dunk, Van Hecke, Kadioglu; Gomez, Ayari; Gruda, Rutter, Mitoma; Kostoulas

We say: Manchester City 2-1 Brighton & Hove Albion

Down to the bare bones defensively, Man City are unlikely to keep a morale-boosted Brighton side at bay, and Guardiola's men could have used a lesson in attacking ruthlessness when Chelsea came to town.

However, Hurzeler's men have struggled to keep the back door shut on the road of late, and City can effectively fight fire with fire in the final third to secure a win of paramount importance.

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