Manchester City fans are hoping to see the team get back to winning ways this weekend in the Premier League.
Manchester City have lost their last three games across all competitions now, which is something that has not happened since 2018.
Pep Guardiola will want to get things back on track before the international break, but it will be a tough test against the Seagulls.
Brighton have started well under Fabian Hurzeler, and are a side that can beat anyone in this league on their day.
There are likely plenty of other Premier League sides Guardiola would rather be facing instead, but City must dig deep at the Amex.
Ahead of the game, Paul Merson has made his score prediction for the game.
Paul Merson predicts Man City to bounce back against Brighton
City crashed to a 4-1 defeat in the Champions League in midweek against Sporting CP.
It was truly a defensive horror show in the second-half, and fans were saying after the loss to Sporting that Rodri is being badly missed now.
Guardiola’s side have been so open and exposed lately.
In 2024/25, City have only managed five clean sheets across their 16 games in all competitions this season.
Paul Merson thinks that City will again fail to keep a clean sheet this weekend. But the former Arsenal man is actually backing Guardiola’s side to win the game and bounce back.
Predicting a 2-1 away win, he told Sportskeeda: “The scrutiny is on Manchester City now after that massive Champions League defeat to Ruben Amorim’s Sporting. Everybody is on them now and there’s no hiding from it. That defeat was their third in a row in all competitions – first time they’ve lost three on the bounce under Pep Guardiola since 2018!
“It’s easy to go against Manchester City in this game and I’m tempted to do it. But I’m still going to back them to bounce back with a win over Brighton. I’m only predicting this result because they are City and I just can’t contemplate them losing four games in a row.
“City are not just used to losing so many games and I still think they are the team to beat. Whoever finishes above City will win the league in my opinion.”
Gary Neville and Ian Wright disagreed over the outcome of Brighton and Man City, with Neville thinking City will bounce back and Wright believing Brighton will win.
A win will settle things down for Man City
It is not often that City head into a game of football faced with the prospect of losing for a fourth time in a row.
City are struggling at the moment for a number of reasons. The loss of Rodri is really hurting, with the alternatives not really stepping up so far.
City are so exposed on the transition, and clean sheets are proving very hard to come by this term. The injury problems have also not helped matters.
| 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 |
Erling Haaland has also been much less clinical in recent weeks compared to the way he started the season, and goals elsewhere in the team are not as plentiful as last season.
City just need to try and grind out a win this weekend, just to settle things down a bit.
Bernardo Silva suggested City were in a bit of a dark place at the moment, which felt a little strong.
There is no reason to panic at the moment, and three points will really change the mindset.
