The match of the 21st round of the Premier League between Manchester City and Brighton & Hove Albion will take place on January 7 at Etihad Stadium. Manchester City vs Brighton & Hove Albion: prediction, betting odds and statistics.
Manchester City
The new calendar year has so far been disappointing for Pep Guardiola. Manchester City drew 0:0 away with Sunderland and then the home side drew 1:1 with Chelsea, conceding an unfortunate goal in the 94th minute. As a result, the club remains in second place but now trails Arsenal by 6 points. In terms of points (42) Aston Villa has caught up with the club. At the same time, the unbeaten run in the Premier League has grown to 8 matches (6 wins and 2 draws). The club also remains the top-scoring side in the championship – 44 goals.
- Exactly two or three goals were scored in 5 of the last 6 Premier League matches involving the home side.
- Manchester City scored at least two goals in 8 of the last 9 home Premier League games.
- The club won 8 of the last 9 previous home matches in the league (1 draw).
Potential Manchester City Lineup (4-2-3-1)*
Gianluigi Donnarumma – Mateus Nunes, Joško Gvardiol, Ruben Dias, Nico O’Riley – Bernardo Silva, Rodrigo Hernandez – Rayan Cherki, Phil Foden, Tijjani Reijnders – Erling Haaland.
Defenders John Stones and Joško Gvardiol, as well as midfielders Oscar Bobb and Mateo Kovacic, are unavailable due to injuries. Defender Ryan Ait-Nouri and forward Omar Marmoush have gone to national team duty. Midfielders Nico Gonzalez and Savinho, as well as defender Ruben Dias, are doubtful due to injuries. Also note the signing of forward Antoine Semenyo, who moved from Bournemouth.
Brighton & Hove Albion
Brighton & Hove Albion under Fabian Hurzeler began the new year with a victory. The club hosted Burnley and comfortably dealt with the league outsiders, winning 2:0. The win ended a six-match winless run in the championship (3 draws and 3 defeats). It was also the fifth time this season that the club kept a clean sheet. The club sits in the middle of the table but is only 6 points off the top-four pack. Also note that Brighton & Hove Albion have only 2 wins in 10 away matches in this championship.
- No more than three goals were scored in 9 of the last 11 Premier League games for the visiting team.
- Brighton & Hove Albion have failed to win in 6 of the last 7 away Premier League matches (3 draws and 3 defeats).
- The club lost the first half in 9 of the last 11 previous away matches in the championship.
Potential Brighton & Hove Albion Lineup (3-4-2-1)*
Bart Verbruggen – Joel Veltman, Lewis Dunk, Jan Paul van Hecke – Ferdi Kadioglu, Jorginho Rutter, Bryan Gruda, Kaoru Mitoma – Yassine Ayari, Diego Gomez – Haralampos Kostoulas.
Defenders Adam Webster, forward Stefanos Tsimas and midfielder Mats Wieffer are out with injuries. Midfielder Carlos Baleba has gone to national team duty. The participation of midfielder Solomon March in the match is doubtful.
Referee
Tom Bremell (England)
Matches – 11 (the Premier League, 2025/26);
Cards Shown (Including Second Yellows) – 35;
Average Cards Per Match – 3.2;
Red Cards Shown – 1;
Fouls Per Match On Average – 21;
Penalties – 27%.
Match Prediction Manchester City vs Brighton & Hove Albion
Without a doubt, after two consecutive slips in the championship in which the side scored just one goal and collected two points, Manchester City will present themselves to the home crowd in a more composed manner and will aim to secure a victory. Before the match with Chelsea in the previous round, the club had an eight-match winning run at their arena in the Premier League. During that period the side scored at least three goals seven times. We expect that in the upcoming encounter Manchester City will not only take three points but will also deliver productive attacking moments.
At the same time, we expect goals from the visitors as well. Brighton & Hove Albion, while not impressive in recent form, often find the net. The club scored in 13 of the last 16 away league matches. Also note that both teams scored in 6 of the last 7 head-to-head matches played at Manchester City in the Premier League. Additionally, the home side won 7 of the last 8 previous head-to-head meetings at their stadium in the Premier League, and both sides scored in the three most recent meetings at Etihad Stadium.
We expect a home win and goals from both teams.
Prediction: Manchester City and Both Teams to Score
* For each team the starting lineup shown is from its previous match in this tournament.