Manchester City have to respond in the Premier League title race when they travel to Brighton on Saturday evening. While there is still so much football left to play this season, the standards set by all of Man City, Liverpool and Arsenal over the last few years mean any dropped points could prove fatal. Pep Guardiola’s side were beaten 2-1 at Bournemouth last time out in the League and fell to a 4-1 loss away at Sporting in the Champions League on Tuesday as a difficult run continues.
The Seagulls, meanwhile, impressed in their 2-1 defeat at Liverpool and will be ruing their missed chances at Anfield. The hosts are without Adam Webster, James Milner and Solly March. They could, however, welcome back the likes of Yankuba Minteh, Joao Pedro and perhaps even Matt O’Riley. City’s injury crisis has eased somewhat, though John Stones and Ruben Dias are not likely to feature here. Rodri and Oscar Bobb are long-term absentees. Kevin De Bruyne made a brief cameo against Sporting as he looks to step up his return from injury. City are certainly struggling right now but do not make much of a habit of losing four consecutive games. With De Bruyne coming back, it’s hard to look past them.
