Manchester City are in a rare position of having to bounce back to winning ways when they take on Brighton this weekend.
For the first time in over six years, Manchester City have fallen to three defeats in a row over the past week.
Following elimination from the Carabao Cup to Tottenham and a loss to Bournemouth in the Premier League, the Blues were trounced 4-1 by Sporting in the Champions League on Tuesday.
It was a result that left Manchester United fans buzzing with the imminent arrival of Ruben Amorim but left Pep Guardiola’s side in an unfamiliar, negative position.
The pressure is on when they return to Premier League competition this weekend and take on Brighton, who remain a dangerous side under new coach Fabian Hurzeler.
Here’s everything you need to know about the fixture.
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Brighton vs Man City kick-off time
Manchester City travel down to the south coast to take on Brighton and Hove Albion on Saturday, November 9, with kick-off coming at 5:30 pm at the Amex Stadium.
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How to watch Brighton vs Man City
Brighton vs City has been selected for television coverage by Sky Sports so there are multiple ways to watch the match.
TV channel
Sky Sports will broadcast the game live on their Sky Sports Premier League channel, with coverage getting underway at 5 pm.
Live stream
If you are a Sky customer, the match will also be available to live stream on Sky Go, the streaming platform of Sky.
If not, you can purchase a Now TV day membership pass which will allow you to watch all the day’s Sky Sports coverage and stream it on your smartphone, tablet or computer.
A day pass costs £14.99, a flexible monthly membership is £34.99 and a 12-month contract costs £26 a month.
Brighton vs Manchester City team news
Guardiola has revealed that Jack Grealish won’t be fit to play in the match despite being called up to the England squad this week.
When asked why Grealish was selected, the manager said: “A question for the manager from the UK. No [he won’t be available.]”
When asked if there would be any more returns, he added: “No, no good news. The same I think from Lisbon, the guys who travelled still they are there.”
That means City will also still be without Ruben Dias and John Stones – alongside long-term absentees Rodri and Oscar Bobb – but there’s always the chance they are surprisingly included.
Brighton, meanwhile, have an even bigger casualty list and are without Adam Webster, James Milner, Yasin Ayari, Yankuba Minteh, Lewis Dunk and Solly March.
Joao Pedro and Matthew O’Riley have a chance of returning after their own lengthy layoffs.
| Position | Team | Played MP | Won W | Drawn D | Lost L | For GF | Against GA | Diff GD | Points Pts |
| 1 |  LiverpoolLiverpool | 10 | 8 | 1 | 1 | 19 | 6 | 13 | 25 |
| 2 | Man CityManchester City | 10 | 7 | 2 | 1 | 21 | 11 | 10 | 23 |
| 3 |  Nottm ForestNottingham Forest | 10 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 14 | 7 | 7 | 19 |
| 4 |  ChelseaChelsea | 10 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 20 | 12 | 8 | 18 |
| 5 |  ArsenalArsenal | 10 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 17 | 11 | 6 | 18 |
| 6 |  Aston VillaAston Villa | 10 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 17 | 15 | 2 | 18 |
| 7 |  TottenhamTottenham | 10 | 5 | 1 | 4 | 22 | 11 | 11 | 16 |
| 8 | BrightonBrighton | 10 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 17 | 14 | 3 | 16 |
Referee and officials
- Referee: Sam Barrott
- Assistants: Lee Betts, Steve Meredith
- Fourth official: Andy Davies
- VAR: Jarred Gillett
- Assistant VAR: Stuart Burt
Prediction
It’s once again quite hard to predict a City match, especially when they haven’t been in this position for so long and it’s clearly not a blip.
City are severely weakened without several key players and, strangely, Guardiola has yet to adapt the team’s set-up to account for the lost stars, leaving them vulnerable to transitions.
Yet, they were sublime for 38 minutes against Sporting and should have been out of sight before their collapse. If they start like that against Brighton and convert their chances, they should be able to win.
Prediction: Brighton 1-2 Man City
