Competition/Round: 2019/20 English Premier League – Matchday 4
Date/Time: Manchester City vs Brighton & Hove Albion – Saturday, 31 August 2019, 15:00 GMT (UK); 10:00 EST, 07:00 PST (USA)
Venue: Etihad Stadium, Manchester, England, UK
Match Officials:
Referee: Jon Moss
Assistants: Marc Perry, Simon Bennett
Fourth Official: Robert Jones
VAR: David Coote
Assistant VAR: Constantine Hatzidakis
TV Info: N/A
Live Stream: Man City for TV (UK); NBC Sports Gold (USA)
Radio: BBC Radio Manchester (UK); TalkSport Radio World (USA)
Preview:
Manchester City cruised to another victory last weekend as they defeated AFC Bournemouth on Sunday. Meanwhile, Brighton & Hove Albion struggled against a stubborn Southampton side. Both teams will look to put these results behind them, however, as the Sky Blues host the Seagulls on Saturday.
Team News:
Manchester City are without the injured Leroy Sané, Benjamin Mendy and Gabriel Jesus. John Stones is a doubt.
Brighton & Hove Albion’s Ezequiel Schelotto, James Tilley, Jason Steele, Jose Izquierdo and Yves Bissouma are injured and will not feature in this match. Florin Andone, who picked up a red card in the match against Southampton last weekend, is suspended.
Possible Lineups:
Manchester City
Formation: 4-3-3
Ederson; Cancelo, Otamendi, Laporte, Zinchenko; De Bruyne, Fernandinho, D. Silva; B. Silva, Agüero, Sterling
Manager: Pep Guardiola
Brighton & Hove Albion
Formation: 5-4-1
Ryan; Montoya, Duffy, Dunk, Burn, March; Groß, Stephens, Pröpper, Trossard; Murray
Manager: Graham Potter
Prediction:
Manchester City started the season strong with seven points from a possible nine. Moreover, they scored 10 goals whilst conceding only three. With these statistics in mind, things have gone well for the current Champions of England.
Brighton & Hove Albion, on the other hand, earned one victory, one draw and one loss after their opening three matches. The Seagulls have struggled to establish themselves at the start of the 2019/20 English Premier League season, but it is not all bad news. They have shown promise in their opening three matches and were unlucky to go down to ten men in their most recent fixture.
Brighton have previously caused problems for City as the Sky Blues had to come back from behind on the final day of the season to secure a successive league title. Given Brighton’s height, this may work to their advantage on set pieces, but City will be sure to maintain the majority of possession to limit their opponent’s goal scoring opportunities. It will not be easy, but it is expected Manchester City will earn their third victory this season on Saturday.
Manchester City 2-1 Brighton & Hove Albion