Three days on from their EFL Cup tie, joint Premier League leaders Manchester City welcome third-placed Brighton back to the Etihad, this time in the Premier League.
It was Manchester City that came out on top in the EFL Cup, as the Cityzens scraped through on penalties following an entertaining 2-2 draw inside 90 minutes.
That success comes four days after Manchester City suffered their first defeat in the Premier League this season, losing 2-1 away to resurgent Aston Villa.
That defeat, coupled with Arsenal’s success over Everton, means that the Cityzens only lead the Gunners in the Premier League table by goal difference.
Brighton also suffered defeat away from home in the Premier League last weekend, losing 2-0 at Anfield against in-form Liverpool – on an afternoon I landed a 13/10 winner.
That defeat put a halt to the Seagulls’ four-match winning run in the Premier League, but Fabian Hurzeler’s visitors remain in third position, five points behind their hosts.
How the bookies view it: City favourites
Manchester City are favourites to return to winning ways in the Premier League on Saturday, with bet365 pricing a home success at 3/5.
Brighton are 15/4 to exact some revenge following their cup exit on Wednesday night, whilst the draw is 10/3.
Head to head: City dominance in Premier League
This is a fixture that Manchester City have tended to dominate in the Premier League era, with the Cityzens winning 12 and losing just three of their 18 meetings with Brighton (W12-D3-L3).
The Seagulls have failed to win in any of their nine Premier League meetings at the Etihad (W0-D2-L7), but have drawn on each of their last two visits.
Players to watch: Another goal for Haaland?
Erling Haaland has once again been in scintillating form for Manchester City this season, finding the back of the net in each of his previous seven appearances for the Cityzens, scoring 13 goals.
The Norwegian is understandably short at 4/7 to score on Saturday, but combining a Haaland goal with Over 2.5 Goals pays a backable 4/5.
Backed a player to find the net? Check our Goalscorer Betting guide to see how the markets work and where to find value.
Predicted line-ups:
Manchester City will be without the injured Antoine Semenyo, whilst Matheus Nunes is still a doubt.
Brighton will continue to be without the injured Kaoru Mitoma, Evan Ferguson, Pascal Struijk, Femi Azeez, Zadok Yohanna and Stefano Tzimas.
Manchester City: Donnarumma, Khusanov, Dias, Guehi, Gvardiol, Anderson, Fernandez, Doku, Cherki, Ndiaye, Haaland
Brighton & Hove Albion: Verbruggen, Boscagli, Vuskovic, Dunk, Kadioglu, Gross, Chema, Gomez, Ayari, De Cuyper, Kostoulas
Anything else catch the eye?
There was plenty of entertainment when these two faced off in the EFL Cup on Wednesday night, and I’m expecting plenty more goals in the Premier League on Saturday.
Manchester City’s previous six matches at the Etihad have averaged a whopping 5.67 goals per game, with Over 3.5 Goals landing on each occasion.
Over 3.5 Goals has also landed in half of Brighton’s Premier League matches this season – as well as in three of their last five in all competitions – and a repeat pays 1/1 at bet365.
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