Manchester City vs Brighton Preview:
Possible starting lineups:
Manchester City:
Ederson; Cancelo, Otamendi, Laporte, Zinchenko; De Bruyne, Rodri, Gundogan; B. Silva, Aguero, Sterling
Brighton:
Ryan; Duffy, Dunk, Burn; Montoya, Stephens, Propper, March; Gross, Murray, Trossard
Manchester City have two victories and one draw after the first three weeks. Pep Guardiola's men managed to beat West Ham with 5:0 in the first round, but dropped two points against Tottenham in the second. The derby finished with a 2:2 draw after VAR decision overruled what looked to have been a late Gabriel Jesus' winner. However, Manchester City dominated the game and fully outplayed the Spurs. Last weekend City beat Bournemouth with 3:1. The Sky Blues were dominant with 74% possession and created plenty of chances. Sergio Aguero's brace and a customary Raheem Sterling strike wrapped up the points for the reigning champions. Aguero's second goal was his 400th career goal for club and national team, with 235 of those coming for City. Kevin De Bruyne should also be mentioned, he registered his 50th Premier League assist in his 123rd appearance, reaching the tally in the fewest number of matches in the competition's history. The atmosphere in the squad is excellent, while the players confidence is high. Some players are sidelined through injury, like Benjamin Mendy (knee), Leroy Sane (cruciate ligaments), John Stones (thigh) and Gabriel Jesus (hamstring). According to me, that's not a big problem as Guardiola has two good players for each position.
Brighton have one win, one draw and one defeat in the first three rounds. New manager Graham Potter, who replaced Chris Hughton, could be satisfy. The Seaguls managed to beat Watford with 3:0 in the first round. It started with Abdoulaye Doucoure's first-half own goal. Substitute Florin Andone, with virtually his first touch of the game, doubled their lead, while Neal Maupay, who signed during the summer transfer window for £20m, scored his debut goal. It was just second Brighton's victory on the opening day in a top-flight division. Previously they beat Wolverhampton in season 1980/81, drawing two and losing three of the remaining five games. In the second round Brighton shared the points with West Ham playing an 1:1 draw. Another summer signing - Leandro Trossard - scored the goal. The Belgian international scored in the first half too, only for his effort to be ruled out for offside on a VAR review. Last weekend Brighton suffered a 2:0 home defeat to Southampton. The main reason for the defeat is Florin Andone's red card. The Romanian was shown a straight red card on the half-hour mark and will miss the match at Etihad due to suspension. In addition, Jose Izquierdo, Yves Bissouma and Ezequiel Schelotto remain long-term injury victims.
Manchester City vs Brighton Prediction:
Manchester City are big favorites in this match. Pep Guardiola's men are class above the other teams in the Premier League. It is true they dropped two points against Tottenham, but it is also true the Spurs were completely outplayed on that match, scoring twice from their only two shots on target. City have won their last five matches against Brighton in all competitions, including all four league games in the previous two seasons. City and Brighton last met on the final day of last season, when the Citizens wrapped up the title with an emphatic 4:1 win as guests. I expect another high victory for Manchester City.
Manchester City vs Brighton Pick: Mamchester City -2.5 AH @ 1.80 with BetVictor