Brighton & Hove Albion vs Manchester City
English Premier League, KO: 20:00 Apr 25, 2024, Amex Stadium
MANCHESTER CITY resume their quest for the Premier League title with a trip to the Amex Stadium to take on Brighton & Hove Albion on Thursday night.
After being knocked out of the Champions League by Real Madrid last week, Pep Guardiola's side rebounded by reaching the FA Cup final courtesy of a 1-0 win over Chelsea.
The Citizens now switch their focus back to the Premier League this midweek, where there is very little room for error going forward as we enter the home stretch.
Ahead of their trip to the south coast, City could well find themselves five points behind both Arsenal and Liverpool, albeit with a few games in hand .
As for Brighton, they have won just one of their last seven league games and it looks as if they're going to finish off this season with a bit of a whimper.
However, Roberto De Zerbi's side should be the fresher of the two teams in this encounter, given that they have not been in action since drawing 1-1 with Burnley almost a fortnight ago.
How the bookies view it: Brighton big underdogs
Despite losing just two of their 15 Premier League home games this season, Brighton are as big as 6/1 (Ladbrokes) to triumph while the draw is also deemed unlikely at 4/1 (William Hill).
Man City, who have failed to win on two of their last three visits to this venue, are heavy 4/9 favourites on William Hill.
Recent head to head: History against the hosts
Man City have dominated this fixture in recent years, winning 12 of the last 14 meetings, the most recent of which was a 2-1 success at the Etihad back in October.
Brighton did bank a point in last season's corresponding fixture between the two sides, however that game was essentially a dead rubber for City at the tail end of last season.
Players to watch: Foden to fire City to three points
Phil Foden has been Man City's main man this season, having racked up a career-best 22 goals across all competitions thus far. The classy playmaker has also chipped in with 10 assists for good measure, so the 10/11 (PaddyPower) about another Foden goal involvement at the Amex holds plenty of appeal.
Former Manchester United forward Danny Welbeck notched in Brighton's 2-1 loss to Liverpool last month and he looks overpriced to breach the Sky Blues' backline at 11/2 (UniBet).
Predicted line-ups
Brighton's injury list is showing no signs of shrinking, with left-back Pervis Estupinan the latest in a long line of casualties. After having to sit out Man City's 1-0 win over Chelsea at Wembley on Saturday, Pep Guardiola has revealed that top-scorer Erling Haaland is a doubt for this week's trip to Brighton.
Brighton: Verbruggen; Veltman, Van Hecke, Dunk, Julio; Gross, Baleba; Adingra, Pedro, Moder; Welbeck
Man City: Ederson; Walker, Dias, Gvardiol; Silva, Akanji, Rodri Doku; Foden, De Bruyne; Alvarez
Anything else catch the eye? Bet Builder too big to ignore
Dipping into Bet 365's Bet Builder, the combination of both Joel Veltman and Rodri each to commit a foul will bring about an eye-catching even-money (1/1) shot.
Brighton right-back Veltman should have his hands full on Thursday night given that he is likely to be tasked with taming either Jack Grealish or Jeremy Doku.
The veteran defender has clocked up at least one foul in 13 of his 23 top-flight appearances this term, one which came against City when the pair met at the Etihad earlier in the season.
We can double that selection up by backing Man City's designated hatchet-man, Rodri, to also get on the wrong side of the referee at least once under the Amex lights.
City's midfield enforcer is averaging 1.3 fouls per-game in the Premier League this season, tackling himself into trouble in 10 of his 12 top-flight appearances away from home this term.
This English Premier League match between Brighton & Hove Albion and Manchester City will be played on Apr 25, 2024 and kick off at 20:00. Check below for our tipsters best Brighton & Hove Albion vs Manchester City prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
