Manchester City v Brighton and Hove Albion - The Opposition

Manchester City look to put the disappointment of two straight Premier League defeats behind them as they face Brighton and Hove Albion at the Etihad Stadium. The blues have lost their last Premier League games at Wolves and Arsenal, while Brighton have lost one and drawn one of their last two before the international break.

It’ll be an interesting clash between the two and a win for the visitors will not only inflict a trio of successive defeats, but also move the Seagulls above the blues. They certainly have the ability and the team are looking like a difficult opponent in the Premier League.

Form

Brighton have won five of their first eight matches and are just four points off the leaders. They started the season by thumping both Luton Town and Wolves 4-1, but lost their second home match of the season as West Ham claimed a 3-1 victory.

Three successive Premier League matches, two at home to Newcastle and Bournemouth with a trip to Old Trafford sandwiched in the middle, all ended 3-1 to the Seagulls. However, a 6-1 hammering at Aston Villa was followed by a 2-2 home draw with Liverpool, while Chelsea dumped the Seagulls out of the League Cup at Stamford Bridge.

Brighton are also partaking in their first-ever European adventure, losing their home match with AEK Athens 3-2, before coming back from 2-0 to record a 2-2 draw at Marseille.

The Seagulls are the top scorers in the Premier League with 21. However, they also have the fourth leakiest defence, conceding 16, a record that is only made better by Sheffield United (22), Burnley (20) and Bournemouth (18). Even new boys Luton Town have conceded one less!

Danger Men

Brighton have been busy on the goal-scoring front and have 10 different players to have scored in all competitions so far this season. Leading the way is Joao Pedro, who has hit five goals from 11 matches. He has attempted 13 shots and has a goal conversion rate of 38%, the highest in the Brighton side. Evan Ferguson has four goals to his name. He has made 15 attempts and is averaging a goal every 93 minutes. The last time Ferguson scored was a hat-trick in the 3-1 win over Newcastle.

Kaoru Mitoma has played 11 matches and created 15 chances, the most in the Brighton side, four of which have been converted, making him the key man in midfield. He has also scored three goals so far this season and the blues will have to stop the Japanese star.

Pervis Estupiñán has created three chances and top scorer Pedro has one assist but has created 15 chances in total. Billy Gilmour is also one for the blues to keep an eye on. He has created ten chances, one converted but, with 483, he has attempted the most passes with 439 being completed. From 11 matches, this gives him a pass accuracy of an impressive 91%.

The Boss

Roberto de Zerbi is the man in charge at the Amex Arena. The Italian manager has transformed the Seagulls into a top side despite losing some of his key players. He joined Brighton in September 2022, presiding over 50 games, 24 of which Brighton have won and lost just 15. That gives him an incredible win ratio of 48%.

Last Time Against Brighton

It was a year ago when the blues faced Brighton at the Etihad Stadium. An Erling Haaland brace gave City a 2-0 leave, before Leandro Trossard pulled a goal back on 53 minutes. Brighton rallied in search of an equaliser, but Kevin de Bruyne finished the Seagulls off to make it 3-1.