Manchester City vs Brighton & Hove Albion (Premier League): Match Preview, Team News, Stats, Head to Head, How to Watch

Manchester City vs Brighton & Hove Albion (Premier League): Match Preview, Team News, Stats, Head to Head, How to Watch The Blues qualified for the next stage of the League Cup thanks to two penalty shoot-out saves from back-up goalkeeper Geronimo Rulli , denying Yasin Ayari and Lewis Dunk from the spot. Despite Jason Steele’s stop to deny Manchester City's Mateo Kovacic, all of Phil Foden, Enzo Fernandez, Jeremy Doku and Rayan Cherki netted, securing a 4-3 triumph in the shootout. Both sides could not be separated in the regular 90 minutes, as Brighton opened the scoring with half an hour on the clock through Malick Yalcouyé. City complained of a possible offside, but with no VAR to check on positioning, the goal stood - and perhaps correctly upon review. 10 minutes later, Mateo Kovacic - with a little help from the post - did what Enzo Maresca’s men needed, firing from distance to level things up just before the half-time interval, with Phil Foden the provider. Despite hoping to continue momentum, Manchester City weren’t prepared for trouble as Brighton regained the lead in the opening moments of the second 45. Georginio Rutter hit the back of the net after a scintillating piece of play down the left, as Jaouen Hadjam passed it back from the byline for the Frenchman to score inside the box. Rutter himself could have scored more had it not been for Rulli using the tip of his fingers, pushing the ball onto the crossbar. To pull the Citizens back into the game, Vitor Reis deflected Rayan Cherki’s free-kick in the 72nd minute - his first goal in sky blue. With a spot in the next round now secured, Manchester City shift focus back to the Premier League, aiming to restore their winning form following a tough defeat to Aston Villa. This Saturday, the Sky Blues face the exact same opponent from Wednesday night in Fabian Hurzeler's men. Here is every detail of our second match against the Seagulls in the space of three days! Match Details Manchester City will face Brighton & Hove Albion at the Etihad Stadium, with kick-off scheduled for 3PM (UK) on Saturday 31 October. The Premier League have announced that Craig Pawson will officiate the clash between Citizens and Seagulls, with John Brooks as the VAR. You can check out the full list of match officials HERE ! Team News Elliot Anderson, Erling Haaland, Gianluigi Donnarumma, Josko Gvardiol and Ruben Dias have all now returned from a three-day holiday , and should be available for the clash against Brighton & Hove Albion this weekend. Matheus Nunes remains a doubt for the game, however, while Antoine Semenyo is out with an injury and should return in December. As for the visitors, Kaoru Mitoma,  Evan Ferguson, Stefanos Tzimas, and Zadok Yohanna are all expected to be unavailable, while assessments are due to be made on Pascal Struijk, Femi Azeez, Ferdi Kadioglu, and Andres Chema. Both Manchester City's Enzo Maresca and Brighton & Hove Albion's Fabian Hurzeler should provide updates on the fitness status of their respective squads in their pre-match media duties this week. Head to head This will be the 38th duel between the two sides, with Manchester City having recorded 21 wins against the Seagulls to date, earning seven draws, and eight losses. The Citizens have scored 79 times against Brighton, and conceded 42 goals. Even though City triumphed over their weekend opponents on penalties earlier this week, the club has failed to beat Brighton in regular time in all of the last five meetings: three draws, two defeats. The most recent win within 90 minutes over this opponent came in May 2024, when the Blues demolished Brighton 0-4 at the Amex Stadium, courtesy of Kevin De Bruyne, a brace from Phil Foden, and Julian Alvarez. Enzo Maresca is due to speak to the media on Friday 30 October. Refresh for updates. Match Statistics Manchester City have never lost at home to Brighton & Hove Albion across 18 meetings between the two sides. Third in the Premier League table, Brighton & Hove Albion currently have the best attack in the league with 23 goals, followed by first place Manchester City with 20. Erling Haaland has scored nine goals in eight Premier League matches this season, with six of those coming from headers. Manchester City’s biggest score at home against Brighton & Hove Albion is a 4-0 win, achieved three times in history: 1981/82, 1983/84, and 2019/20. How to Watch Fans in the UK will be able to follow BBC Radio Manchester’s radio coverage for the match, as it will not be televised due to the 15:00 blackout. Viewers in the United States will be able to watch the contest live on FuboTV and Peacock.