Man City vs. Brighton: Prediction, Preview & Betting Tips

For all of their poor form, City have still won three of their last four league games on home soil, and Brighton have never won an away fixture at Manchester City in their entire history.

It'll undoubtedly be a close game, but we fancy the home side to come out on top. Manchester City 2-1 Brighton.

Manchester City face a crucial game in their quest to ensure Champions League football for next season as they take on Brighton.

• Date: 15/03/2025
• Kick-off time: 15:00
• Location: Etihad Stadium, Manchester

Manchester City are currently 5th in the Premier League with 47 points from 28 games. The Sky Blues are amidst one of their worst seasons in recent memory as fight tooth and nail to make it back into the Champions League. City's season is guaranteed to finish trophyless, so a top four, or potentially top five, finish is imperative.

City could be massively helped by the Premier League's coefficient ranking allowing the league to enter five teams into next season's competition, but as things stand that is not confirmed, so City need to strive for 4th place. They sit two points shy of Chelsea in 5th, so they remain well in the mix.

The main concern remains that their performances simply haven't been good enough this season. There have been small spots of isolated improvements, but overall, they remain as poor as they've been all season. Erling Haaland, despite still being good, is short of his usual level, while the form Phil Foden displayed last season is nowhere to be seen. Kevin De Bruyne looks as though his time at the top level is done, and the less said about the team's defence the better.

All in all, City are facing a Brighton side here who are hot on their tails and especially with home advantage, three points is a must.

Brighton are currently 7th in the Premier League with 46 points from 28 games. The Seagulls are having a fine campaign and with the way things are going, they'll feel like they have a good chance of securing Champions League football for next season.

Under Fabian Hurzeler, Brighton have been up and down this season, with a strong start followed by a period of rocky form, but they look to be ending the season like a freight train as they make a charge for a top five finish.

Given they're only one point behind City in 5th, they'll know that a win here would see them leapfrog the champions, which is quite the thought. Had you told people at the start of the season that, in the middle of March, Brighton would be above Manchester City in the table, people would have laughed. However, that's the position we're in and Seagulls fans will be loving it

This game will not be televised live in the UK.

Manchester City Team News:

The Sky Blues remain without midfielder Rodri, while Manuel Akanji, Nathan Aké and John Stones all remain on the sidelines.

Omar Marmoush could start this one after spending a few games on the sidelines.

Predicted lineup: Ederson; Lewis, Khusanov, Dias, Gvardiol; Gonzalez; Sávio, Silva, De Bruyne, Marmoush; Haaland.

Brighton Team News:

The Seagulls have a fairly lengthy injury list, with Lewis Dunk, James Milner, Ferdi Kadioglu, Joel Veltman, Matt O'Riley, Jason Steele and Igor Julio all out injured.

After a good result last time out, Fabian Hurzeler could name the same lineup for a second straight game.

Predicted linep: Verbruggen; Hinshelwood, Van Hecke, Webster, Estupinan; Baleba, Ayari; Minteh, Rutter, Mitoma; Pedro.

Man City:

Manchester City are in poor form on the whole, with two wins and three losses from their last five games. Last time out, City fell to a frustrating 1-0 loss away at Nottingham Forest, which followed a 3-1 win over Plymouth Argyle in the FA Cup, where a Nico O'Reilly brace and a Kevin De Bruyne goal got the job done.

Before that, a goal from Erling Haaland saw them beat Tottenham 1-0 away from home, a result that came after a 0-2 loss to Liverpool and a 3-1 loss to Real Madrid in the Champions League.

Brighton:

Brighton, however, are in very good form, with the Seagulls having won all of their last five games. At the weekend, Brighton beat Fulham 2-1 thanks to an injury-time penalty from Joao Pedro, with Van Hecke scoring the opener, which was preceded by a 2-1 win away at Newcastle in the FA Cup, with Minteh and Welbeck scoring the goals.

Prior to that, Brighton beat Bournemouth 2-1 thanks to goals from Pedro and Welbeck, which was preceded by a 4-0 win away at Southampton, with the goals coming from Pedro, Rutter, Mitma and Hinshelwood, and a 3-0 win over Chelsea, courtesy of goals from Mitoma and Minteh (X2).

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