Manchester City have lost consecutive league matches, under Pep Guardiola, for just the third time. So Brighton will have to best beware of how fired up their opponents will be when Saturday’s fixture arrives.
Under Pep they just barely every lose, with the club averaging only five losses per season under his leadership. When they won their first title under Guardiola, in 2017-18, they lost two games in total.
Brighton & Hove Albion at Manchester City FYIs
Kick-off time: 3 PM GMT, Saturday Oct. 21, Etihad Stadium
Transatlantic Passage: How the Premier League Redefined Soccer in America: LINK
Man City Preview Content: Starting XI Prediction Team News Transfer Talk News & Notes
Form Guide Premier League: Brighton DLWWW Manchester City LLWWW
Premier League Position: Brighton 16 pts, 6th Manchester City 18 pts, 3rd
Result Probability: Brighton win 15% Draw 17% Manchester City win 68%
The injury bug has really bit them pretty hard, early on this season, and that is the best explanation for why the reigning treble winners have taken a couple Ls in their first eight fixtures.
Last season it took them 14 matches to lose twice. Never mind that though, as City is back to close to full fitness now.
Obviously, the one absentee is a huge one, in Kevin de Bruyne, but they’ve still been able to get results without him, for some time.
Manchester City Starting XI Prediction vs Brighton
Ederson; Josko Gvardiol, Ruben Dias, Manuel Akanji, Kyle Walker; Rodri, Mateo Kovacic; Phil Foden, Julian Alvarez, Jeremy Doku; Erling Haaland
Paul M. Banks is the owner/manager of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
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