Manchester City vs Brighton: Team News, Injuries and Prediction
By Daniel Kimingi ·
Semenyo is out and Nunes is a doubt for Manchester City, while Brighton expect Kadioglu and Chema Andres back for Saturday's Etihad game.
Manchester City host Brighton at the Etihad on Saturday 31 October at 15:00 GMT. Semenyo is out for City, and Brighton have several injury absentees.
Manchester City host Brighton at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday 31 October, kick-off 15:00 GMT, with City top of the table on goal difference. Brighton are third on 16 points, five points behind, according to Sports Mole and The Stats Zone.
Man City vs Brighton team news
Antoine Semenyo is out with a knee injury and is City's only confirmed absentee. Matheus Nunes has missed the last two games with an unspecified muscle problem and is a doubt. Gianluigi Donnarumma is confirmed as first-choice goalkeeper despite Geronimo Rulli's penalty saves in the EFL Cup.
Sports Mole expects Dias, Gvardiol, Anderson and Haaland to return after being rested on Wednesday. Ayyoub Bouaddi is pushing for a midfield start, and Cherki has played 13 of 14 games this season. The report's predicted City side is Donnarumma; Khusanov, Dias, Guehi, Gvardiol; Anderson, Bouaddi; Foden, Fernandez, Doku; Haaland, though another preview picks a different midfield.
Sports Mole lists Kaoru Mitoma, Femi Azeez, Pascal Struijk (thigh), Evan Ferguson (ankle), Stefanos Tzimas (knee) and Zadok Yohanna among Brighton's absentees. Another report names only Yohanna, so the list needs checking. Ferdi Kadioglu and Chema Andres are expected back after missing the midweek game with hip problems, and Kadioglu could start at right-back.
Form, table and head-to-head
City lost 2-1 at Aston Villa in their last league game before beating Ipswich 3-2 at home. They then drew 2-2 with Brighton in the EFL Cup in midweek and won on penalties. Brighton lost 2-0 at Liverpool after winning 5-0 against Crystal Palace and 3-0 against Arsenal, and have scored 23 league goals to City's 20.
City have lost one of their last 22 Premier League home games, with 18 wins and three draws. Brighton have taken two points from a possible 27 at the Etihad as a Premier League side, and their last two league visits there ended in draws. Both teams scored in 10 of the last 12 meetings in all competitions, and at least four goals were scored in six of them.
Brighton's two league defeats this season were both away, at Liverpool and Chelsea. This is their fourth away game in 11 days, and The Hard Tackle's figures show both sides averaging 65.5 per cent possession over their last five games, against a league norm of 48 per cent. Charalampos Kostoulas should lead the line, and Yankuba Minteh and Mats Wieffer are expected to be on the bench after recovering from injury.