Brighton and Hove Albion vs Manchester City
English Premier League, KO: 17:30 Nov 9, 2024, Amex Stadium
Manchester City are in the midst of a mini crisis and it will be interesting to see how the Premier League champions respond on the road against Brighton and Hove Albion as they bid to avoid a fourth successive defeat.
I tipped Pep Guardiola's side to lose their EFL Cup tie at Tottenham, with the City boss playing a few academy prospects in the midst of a demanding run of fixtures with several key players injured.
Guardiola brought the big hitters back for their Premier League trip to Bournemouth but they were strangely subdued and the Cherries were good value for the 2-0 win that bust the coupon of our man Andy.
It looked Manchester City were back at it on Tuesday as they took an early lead at Sporting Lisbon in the Champions League and bossed the first half. But they conceded a sloppy goal and fell apart after the break as the Portuguese side romped to a 4-1 win.
Brighton will now be looking to take advantage of that soft underbelly as the Seagulls look to get back on track themselves after a three-game run without a victory.
Fabian Hurzeler lost just one of his first 11 games in charge but Liverpool have just inflicted back-to-back defeats on his side in the EFL Cup and Premier League so the German will be looking for a response here.
How the bookies view it: Stumbling City still odds-on favourites
Guardiola has never lost four matches in a row as a coach and the bookies can't see that stat changing. Betano make Manchester City 7/10 favourites for a win, with Brighton 16/5 outsiders and the draw paying 3/1.
Recent head to head: Seagulls' wings are clipped
Manchester City have dominated this fixture in recent years and have lost just one of their last 15 games against Brighton and Hove Albion. Even that 3-2 Seagulls victory at home in 2021 came after Joao Cancelo had been sent off after 10 minutes. Guardiola's side also romped to a 4-0 win on their last visit to the Amex.
Players to watch: Foden back in the groove
One of the few positives for Manchester City on Tuesday night was Phil Foden getting on the scoresheet for just the third time this season. Last season's Player of the Year is now getting a decent run of games and he's 2/1 at Betano for anytime scorer. Unibet also have him at 17/5 for an assist.
Kaoru Mitoma's pace will be a big threat for Brighton and the Japanese winger is 29/10 at Betano to score. An assist is more likely though and that pays a hefty 22/5 at Unibet.
Probable line-ups
Matt O'Riley and Joao Pedro could be back in Brighton's squad after injury lay-offs while Yasin Ayari, Yankuba Minteh and Lewis Dunk are doubts. Manchester City remain without Rodri, John Stones, Ruben Dias and Jack Grealish along with long-term absentees Rodri and Oscar Bobb.
Brighton and Hove Albion: Verbruggen, Igor, Van Hecke, Estupinan, Veltman, Mitoma, Kadioglu, Moder, Hinshelwood, Rutter, Welbeck.
Manchester City: Ederson, Gvardiol, Akanji, Ake, Walker, Kovacic, Silva, Savinho, Doku, Foden, Haaland.
Anything else catch the eye?
While Guardiola's side copped a sore one off Sporting, it shouldn't be forgotten that they could have been three or four goals ahead before the Portuguese side scored their leveller. I've got a feeling they will respond with a win here and combining a City victory with over 2.5 goals pays 51/40 at Betano.
Manchester City have been racking up heaps of corners in most of their games this season and won 11-1 on that count against Sporting. That makes City -2 in the corner handicap a good option here at 21/20 with Bet365 who also price over 6.5 City corners at 11/10.
This English Premier League match between Brighton and Hove Albion and Manchester City will be played on Nov 9, 2024 and kick off at 17:30. Check below for our tipsters best Brighton and Hove Albion vs Manchester City prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
