Our betting expert suggests that City will bounce back from their Tottenham Hotspur defeat to defeat Brighton at the Amex Stadium.

Brighton vs Man City Betting Predictions

All odds are courtesy of Paddy Power, correct at the time of publishing and subject to change.

Guardiola’s big expectations

After what was a difficult campaign by their own high standards, City are expected to be a stronger squad now. Having signed players like Tijjani Reijnders and Rayan Cherki gives them a good reason to be optimistic. The dominant win over Wolves saw them getting back on track, but losing to Spurs certainly was a step back.

However, Brighton are a different challenge, and the Cityzens will back themselves to start winning again. Pep Guardiola has a whole host of attacking players available, and if Everton could score two against the Seagulls, then City definitely can. They should be too strong for the hosts.

It would be a problem if Rayan Ait-Nouri and Josko Gvardiol remain unavailable, but the visitors have plenty of squad depth. City were unable to beat Brighton in either of their games last season, but have the advantage this time.

An action-packed affair

Recent meetings between these two sides have always featured plenty of goals. Brighton have won a couple of games, while City have won more. However, their matches have been high-scoring affairs for years. This match should be no different.

Over 2.5 goals were scored in 11 of their last 13 meetings, and eight have resulted in both teams scoring. Last season, they ended 2-1 and 2-2 respectively, continuing a pattern of exciting encounters. With the sort of attacking talent on display, it’s not hard to see why there will be plenty of goals in this match.

Fabian Hürzeler has had an interesting transfer window, but concerns remain after Joao Pedro’s transfer to Chelsea. They may not be as strong in attack as they were in 2024/25, but they can still cause problems. The issue for Brighton is that City should be able to cause more problems for them than they can for the visitors.

Haaland to score again

Backing Erling Haaland to find the net for Manchester City is an easy decision. However, given his record against Brighton, it is even more important to expect him to score. He’s played against them five times and scored five goals. In the one game he didn’t score, he provided an assist for the first goal.

The Seagulls know that there are many City players that they need to be wary of, but the Norwegian will certainly be at the top of that list. Haaland began his scoring this season with a brace against Wolves, but he was left frustrated against Spurs. 

With the striker now just two contributions shy of hitting 150 goals and assists for City, he’ll be a major problem for Brighton once again.

Our analysis: Form of both teams

Brighton & Hove Albion have had inconsistent results at the start of their season. They suffered a late setback on the opening day, having drawn 1-1 with Fulham. After that, they were beaten 2-0 by Everton in their second game. This week, however, they boosted their confidence with a 6-0 dominant victory against Oxford United in the Carabao Cup.

Manchester City have also struggled with consistency. They won 4-0 in Matchday 1 against Wolverhampton Wanderers, but then lost 2-0 to Tottenham Hotspur. They go into this game in sixth place, and eager to win again, but they won’t have an easy time in East Sussex.

Predicted lineups for Brighton vs Man City

Brighton expected lineup: Verbruggen, Wieffer, van Hecke, Dunk, De Cuyper, Baleba, Ayari, Minteh, O’Riley, Mitoma, Welbeck

Man City expected lineup: Trafford, Nunes, Dias, Stones, Ake, González, Marmoush, Reijnders, Cherki, Bobb, Haaland

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