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Manchester City vs Brighton match preview
Aiming to extend a club record streak and put pressure on Premier League the leaders of Arsenal, Manchester City to welcome Brighton at the Etihad Stadium on Wednesday evening.
The Cityzens’ title hopes suffered another setback in a 1-1 draw against Chelsea last time out, while Brighton ended a winless run by beating Burnley 2-0.
Facing a managerless Chelsea side, low on confidence and defensive options, seemed a favorable opportunity for City, and Pep Guardiola’s side largely controlled proceedings either side of Tijjani Reijnders’ opener.
However, the hosts failed to capitalize on their dominance and were punished late on, with Enzo Fernandez striking late in the closing stages to force a 1-1 draw, leaving City with back-to-back Premier League draws following their goalless encounter with Sunderland.
Those dropped points allowed Arsenal to take a six-point lead at the top of the table, leaving City second and only ahead of Aston Villa on goal difference.
A win on Wednesday would reduce the gap to three points ahead of Arsenal’s meeting with Liverpool, but another draw would see Guardiola equal his longest run of consecutive Premier League stalemates as City manager.
The match schedule is encouraging for the hosts, as City have won their last 22 Premier League matches played on a Wednesday, the longest winning streak by a team on a specific weekday in the competition’s history.
Brighton, however, arrive with renewed confidence after ending a difficult run of form. Fabian Hurzeler’s side finished 2025 without a win in six league matches, but a 2-0 victory over Burnley at the weekend, thanks to goals from Georginio Rutter and Yasin Ayari, provided some much-needed confidence.
Team news for Manchester City vs Brighton
Manchester City’s defensive problems worsened against Chelsea, with Ruben Dias and Josko Gvardiol forced off the field with injuries that could sideline them for several weeks. City have confirmed that the latter will have surgery on a broken leg.
The duo join Oscar Bobb, John Stones, Mateo Kovacic, Savinho, Rayan Ait-Nouri and Omar Marmoush on the absentee list, while Nico Gonzalez remains doubtful.
Nathan Ake and Abdukodir Khusanov are expected to replace them at the back, while Erling Haaland will ensure he avoids four consecutive Premier League starts without a goal for the first time in his career.
For Brighton, Yankuba Minteh and Mats Wieffer could return to the team after injury, but Carlos Baleba remains unavailable due to AFCON commitments.
Solly March, Adam Webster and Stefanos Tzimas are still missing, while Danny Welbeck is unlikely to lead the line again after failing to score in nine previous league matches at the Etihad.
Expected line-ups for Manchester City vs Brighton
Manchester City: Donnarumma; Lewis, Khusanov, Ake, O’Reilly; Rodri; Cherki, Foden, Reijnders, Doku; Haaland
Brighton: Verbruggen; Veltman, Dunk, Van Hecke, Kadioglu; Gomez, Ayari; Gruda, Rutter, Mitoma; Kostoulas
How to watch Manchester City vs Brighton: TV channel, live stream online
Kick-off on Wednesday will be at 7:30 p.m. GMT (3:30 p.m. ET / 11:30 a.m. PT), with live coverage in the UK on Sky Sports Main Event.
Via Now TV, Sky Sports costs £14.99 for a one-day subscription, £28 per month for a 12-month subscription or £34.99 per month without a contract.
Sky Sports subscriptions include access to all 12 live Sky Sports channels and Sky Sports+, which offers live broadcasts and a dedicated channel.
Streaming is available on a wide variety of devices via the Sky GO app.
Manchester City vs Brighton match statistics
- Manchester City have won their last 22 Premier League matches played on a Wednesday
- City are unbeaten in 15 league matches at home to Brighton
- Brighton have conceded at least two goals in each of their last three away league matches
- Manchester City have drawn their last two Premier League matches
- Brighton have won just one of their last seven Premier League matches
- City have scored in every home league game this season
Prediction
Manchester City
2
–
1
Brighton
Manchester City’s defensive absences suggest they may struggle to keep Brighton at bay, but the visitors’ recent fragility away could prove costly.
Guardiola’s side should have enough attacking quality to win a competitive contest and secure a victory of significant importance in the title race, even if it comes at the expense of another nervy finish.
Bet here
