Manchester City vs Brighton and Hove Albion
English Premier League, KO: 15:00 Oct 21, 2023, Etihad StadiumMANCHESTER CITY would have been glad of the international break for once as Pep Guardiola will use it to reset his side after an unheard of run of results for the European champions.
They welcome a dangerous Brighton side to the Etihad on Saturday after an unprecedented three domestic defeats in a row – two in the league to Wolves and at Arsenal and one in the Carabao Cup at Newcastle United.
It means City are in third place and they have definitely been out of sorts for chunks of this season so far with the loss of Kevin de Bruyne being a major blow for them.
However, it would be extreme folly to write off Guardiola and City who must now know they are in a real title fight this season. They certainly have the quality to recover.
The Seagulls are the great entertainers of the Premier League. They are top scorers with 21 goals after eight games but they also have the fourth worst defence in the league after losing 16 goals.
It makes for a great watch although Brighton aren't in great form themselves with two draws and a defeat in their last three league matches too.
How the bookies view it
Manchester City still have the layers' trust and are a best-price 4/9 with Coral and are short as 4/11 in places too.
Brighton can be backed at 6/1 with bet365 and the same firm have the draw at 9/2.
Recent head to heads
City won 3-1 at the Etihad last term and were held to a 1-1 draw on the south coast.
Brighton have never won an away fixture against Manchester City in their history.
Players to watch
Erling Haaland has had a frustrating week after hardly getting a kick against Spain as Norway's automatic qualification hopes for Euro 2024 died. He has scored just once in City's last five games, but is 8/15 to score anytime on Saturday with Boylesports.
Simon Adingra scored his second goal of the season when he opened the scoring against Liverpool in their last game. The Ivory Coast hitman is 4/1 to score anytime with Ladbrokes.
Anything else catch the eye?
Any game with Brighton involved should mean goals at both end as their record shows and with City far from impregnable at the moment, the call is a home win and both teams to score at 7/5 with BetVictor.
It's short for that particular angle, but there's a good reason for that.
Goals are also very short with even over 3.5 goals odds-on. Try both teams to score in the first half at 5/2 with bet365.
This English Premier League match between Manchester City and Brighton and Hove Albion will be played on Oct 21, 2023 and kick off at 15:00. Check below for our tipsters best Manchester City vs Brighton and Hove Albion prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.