Manchester City - Brighton and Hove Albion predictions and free betting tips [21/10/2023]

On Saturday, 21 October, within the framework of the 9th round of the Premier League, Manchester City will host Brighton at their home ground. The "Citizens" will strive to avoid a third consecutive defeat in the championship for the first time since 2016, while the "Seagulls" are hoping to break a four-match winless run in all competitions.

Predicted Lineups

Manchester City: Ederson; Walker, Stones, Dias, Gvardiol; Rodri, Kovacic; Foden, Alvarez, Grealish; Haaland.
Brighton: Steele; Veltman, Dunk, Webster, March; Baleba, Gross; Adingra, Pedro, Mitoma; Ferguson.

Stadium

The duel will take place in Manchester at the Etihad Stadium.

Manchester City

Having won the Champions League for the first time in their history in June, Manchester City is undoubtedly the best team in the world at the moment. Moreover, the "Citizens" dominate on the domestic stage, having won three victories in the last three Premier League events. It's no wonder that the hosts are the favourites for the 2023/2024 campaign. City started brilliantly, winning their first 6 matches in the national championship - however, in the previous two matches, Guardiola's charges stumbled. The Mancunians lost to Wolverhampton and Arsenal due to a late goal by Martinelli, and are in 3rd place in the table, trailing the leading Tottenham by 2 points. In the Champions League, Manchester is not experiencing such problems, having won victories over the Belgrade Red Star (3:1) and Leipzig (1:3). City is flawless at the Etihad: has won all its last 20 matches in all tournaments, which is a club record, scoring 65 goals and conceding only 10.

Playmaker Kevin De Bruyne, who suffered a serious injury at the beginning of the season, is still unavailable this weekend. The Belgian will have to wait a few more weeks before he can be on the pitch. However, there are no other absences, as the Spanish midfielder Rodri has served his suspension and is expected to return straight to the starting lineup alongside Kovacic. Erling Haaland is the Premier League's top scorer with 8 goals, but has not been able to score in the last three matches for the Citizens. Erling's attacking partner could be Argentine World Champion Julian Alvarez (3 goals and 3 assists in the Premier League). Bernardo Silva played as a defensive midfielder against Arsenal, so the Portuguese will compete with Phil Foden for a place on the right flank, while Jack Grealish and Jeremy Doku will compete for a spot on the left.

Brighton

Brighton is a team that delights fans with spectacular football for the third season. Having taken the 6th place in the overall Premier League standings last year, the "Seagulls" hope to continue their progress in this campaign. Under the leadership of master tactician Roberto De Zerbi, the visitors are looking good and are currently sitting 6th in the league table, just 1 point behind the "big four". After three wins in a row, Brighton suffered a heavy defeat from Aston Villa with a score of 6:1, but in the last round, the Seagulls drew with Liverpool (2:2). The Merseysiders turned the tide of the duel at the end of the first half thanks to a goal from Mohamed Salah, but Brighton captain Lewis Dunk restored parity on the scoreboard with 12 minutes to go before the final whistle. It is worth noting that the Southerners had a poor start in the Europa League group stage (1 draw and 1 loss). In none of the last 11 matches in all competitions have the "Seagulls" managed to secure a single "clean sheet" victory.

Approaching the Saturday confrontation at the Etihad, the team has not won any of the three previous away matches. Brighton will be missing key left-back Estupinan, playmaker Enciso and long-injured holding midfielder Moder; they are all injured. Experienced midfielder Milner also remains doubtful. Solly March (3 goals and 1 assist), usually playing as a winger, was successfully employed at left-back last round. In Saturday's start, Japanese player Mitoma (3 goals and 3 assists), German midfielder Gross (2 goals), and young Irish star Ferguson (4 goals) are sure to feature. Joao Pedro and Danny Welbeck will boost the game in the second half coming off the bench, while Simon Adingra will retain his place on the right flank.

Head-to-Head Meetings

The Citizens can boast an impressive record in the confrontation with Brighton: in the 13 previous home meetings in the championship, they have not lost once, having won 11 times and twice drawn; City have also won all nine of the last home games with a total score of 24:3, including a 3:1 win last season.

Manchester City vs Brighton Match Prediction

On Saturday, the Citizens will be eager to get back to winning ways: after two consecutive defeats in the championship, another slip-up would be inexcusable for Guardiola's gang. Rodri, who has served his suspension, is back in the line-up, whereas there are no other absences (except for De Bruyne) for the hosts. Brighton has slowed down a bit in October and has a poor record in head-to-head meetings with the Mancunians. My prediction is a Citizens' victory with a handicap -1.

Total Prediction

In four out of the last five head-to-head encounters, the teams have traded goals. City has been far from impeccable in defence this season, so we confidently bet on "both to score".

Corner Prediction

The hosts, as in any other home match, will take the ball and regularly threaten the opponent's goal. I bet on a Citizens' win in corners with a handicap -1.5.

Yellow Cards Prediction

Neither team is particularly known for their harshness on the field, so I predict the total number of warnings under 4.5.

Score Prediction

I'll bet on the exact score of 3:1 in favour of Manchester City.