Manchester City face one of the biggest potential banana skins on their Premier League title run-in as they travel to face a Brighton & Hove Albion side smarting from recent poor form.
Pep Guardiola’s defending champions have suffered two disappointing late-season results at the Amex Stadium in recent seasons, losing 3-2 in a dramatic match against a Graham Potter-led side in May 2021 and then drawing 1-1 after Julio Enciso’s spectacular goal for Brighton last May.
The Citizens know they cannot afford to slip up on this occasion as they try to reel in both Liverpool and Arsenal, with two wins from their two games in hand on the pair paramount to retaining the Premier League title.
Brighton, meanwhile, would only be too happy to spoil the parade of Guardiola’s side and bolster their own ambitions.
If they are to make it back into European competition next season, the Seagulls realistically need to win and carry momentum into their last five games – and Roberto De Zerbi has had the benefit of planning time to plot the downfall of his close friend Guardiola.
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Team News
Brighton
After bowing out of the Europa League at the hands of Roma in March, Brighton have suffered a pronounced slump in energy and form.
De Zerbi has struggled to inspire his squad as they have gone four matches without a win in the Premier League, including a disappointing 1-1 draw in their last outing at Burnley.
The potential difference in this tie is the 12 days the Seagulls have had since that match to rest and prepare for one of the toughest contests of their season.
In terms of injuries, the gap will not make much of a difference, with most absentees being long-term.
Kaoru Mitoma, Jack Hinshelwood, and Solly March are all ruled out for the season, and in De Zerbi’s Wednesday press conference, it was confirmed that Pervis Estupiñán had joined the trio with a return date only in the summer from his calf problem.
De Zerbi also ruled Evan Ferguson out with ankle pain, although he gave better news on Adam Webster and Julio Enciso, who were involved in training this week and should at least make the bench.
Meanwhile, there was no update on return dates for James Milner (thigh), Billy Gilmour (knee) or Tariq Lamptey (muscle), who continue to be absent for this match.
Man City
Though the schedule has been hectic for Manchester City of late, leading to high-profile complaints from Guardiola and exhausted midfield lynchpin Rodri, the Citizens are actually carrying very few injuries in their squad at present.
Ederson has recently recovered from a muscle injury that saw him miss three Premier League games, while John Stones – despite going off at half-time at the weekend – is fit once again and Rodri is available after resting against Luton two weeks ago.
They only have one serious injury going into this match, but it is a hugely significant one.
Erling Haaland missed City’s FA Cup Semi-Final against Chelsea with an undisclosed injury and though there was hope he could return here, Guardiola confirmed the Norwegian was ‘not available’ to play at the Amex.
Phil Foden, however, can start despite reportedly missing training earlier this week following the match at Wembley.
Despite the loss of the Premier League’s joint-top goalscorer, City have a wealth of options to choose from in attack.
Julián Álvarez deputised for Haaland in the Semi-Final at the weekend and lasted 88 minutes, while the returns of Kevin De Bruyne and Jack Grealish to full fitness have sparked a new burst of life from the defending champions recently.
De Bruyne has scored three goals and assisted 11 in 15 appearances during 2024, with only seven of those games being full 90-minute outings.
Grealish, meanwhile, played only 163 minutes of football in all competitions between New Year’s Day and April Fools' Day, falling out of favour for club and country due to confidence issues, a groin problem and the electric form of Jérémy Doku.
However, with five starts in April and an assist against Real Madrid, Grealish is firmly back in the groove.
With key players playing regularly in their best positions and understudies stepping up when required, City are an ominous proposition for any opposition right now.
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Likely Lineups
Brighton
Verbruggen; Veltman, van Hecke, Dunk, Igor Julio; Gross, Baleba; Adingra, Pedro, Fati; Welbeck
Man City
Ederson; Walker, Dias, Aké, Gvardiol; Rodri, Kovačić; Foden, De Bruyne, Doku; Álvarez
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Key Players
Brighton – Bart Verbruggen
While Brighton will be expected to play without fear in this contest and should compete for at least 50% of possession at the Amex, City’s attacking quality will inevitably shine.
This is where Verbruggen comes in, as the young Dutchman should make his seventh straight start in all competitions on the back of excellent displays against Nottingham Forest, Roma and Liverpool.
His last outing at Burnley will be remembered for a desperate attempt to clear that saw the ball ricochet off Josh Brownhill to open the scoring, but at least it was not the worst goalkeeping error of that match.
Regardless, Verbruggen is looking more confident all the time and at just 21 years of age is attracting suitors with his rapid-fire shot-stopping and pinpoint passing.
He is a more confident aerial presence than last season’s incumbent Robert Sánchez ever was, and has proven to be less error-prone than Jason Steele during their incessant rotation cycle this term.
After waiting 11 matches for his first Premier League clean sheet, the Dutchman has secured three in seven matches since, in which time he has discovered some real confidence between the sticks.
He will be required to exceed his average of 2.9 saves per Premier League game in this contest, and De Zerbi will hope the ‘keeper can also surpass his average of 87.1% pass completion, as Verbruggen will be crucial to any positive result the Seagulls can achieve.
Man City – Kevin De Bruyne
Whether or not City’s majestic Belgian plays the full 90 minutes of this contest is uncertain, as he has only completed two consecutive full games in 2024.
However many minutes he spends on the pitch in Sussex, though, De Bruyne is guaranteed to have some say on the final result.
It is almost impossible to think of a game that goes by without the creative mastermind having some kind of lasting impact, which is something that sets him apart from many players who operate in his position.
Whether it was a goal and an assist on his return against Newcastle United, four assists to power City past a stubborn Luton side in the FA Cup or two goals and an assist to shake off Crystal Palace earlier in April, De Bruyne’s return to prominence has been immense.
Guardiola has used the Belgian wisely, not asking too much of a 32-year-old who has played countless minutes for the club across nine seasons before his early-season hamstring tear, and has profited accordingly.
Having scored twice and assisted four times against Brighton during the 10 games he has played against them – from which he has won nine and drawn one – De Bruyne also matches up favourably in this contest.
He will cause Brighton’s midfield untold problems and should set up his forwards – whether that is Álvarez, Grealish, Doku or others – for a profitable night.
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Match Details
Where is the game being played?
The match will take place at Brighton’s Amex Stadium in Falmer, where an attendance close to the capacity of 31,876 is expected.
What time is kick-off?
Kick-off is at 8.00 PM BST, with the game being the only Premier League fixture being played on Thursday 25 April 2024.
How can I watch?
The match will be shown live on Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Premier League, with coverage starting from 7.30 PM.
