Manchester City have got a ‘point to prove’ when they head to the south coast to face Brighton on Saturday as they look to set an unwanted new mark under Pep Guardiola.
The Premier League champions are reeling after three consecutive defeats following Tuesday night’s 4-1 humbling in Lisbon against Sporting. This is the club’s longest losing streak since 2018, with the club having never lost four on the bounce under Guardiola.
City still sit second in the Premier League table, two points off leaders Liverpool and with their injury crisis appearing to be easing, the club will be hoping to bounce back with a win in this final game before the international break.
Brighton will provide testing opposition though, with the Seagulls having narrowly lost to Liverpool last time out and currently sitting eighth in the table. Chris Sutton is expecting another closely-fought clash.
Chris Sutton predicts Brighton vs Manchester Cit
Sutton incorrectly believed City would win last weekend’s trip to Bournemouth in a close match and is again predicting a tight one on the south coast this weekend.
“Brighton ended up losing last week, but they absolutely played Liverpool off the park at Anfield for 45 minutes,” he told the BBC.
“I’d not seen much of Seagulls midfielder Yasin Ayari beforehand but I was at the game for 5 Live, and what a great young player he looks. The same goes for Jack Hinshelwood too.
“The way they played out from the back, with such bravery and confidence, was impressive and Liverpool had to dig very deep to recover from 1-0 down and beat them.
“Manchester City are going to have to do the same to get back to winning ways. After they lost to Sporting on Tuesday, City midfielder Bernardo Silva said they are “in a dark place” at the moment but they are champions for a reason and I am expecting a response.
“They have got a point to prove, and that might help them find the energy they will need.”
Chris Sutton’s prediction: Brighton 1-2 Manchester City
Fabian Hurzeler wants to pile more misery on Man City
Brighton boss Fabian Hurzeler sees the Saturday tea-time clash as an opportunity to pile more misery on City and pick up the best result of his short time in the Premier League so far.
He said: “Against every team there are opportunities. Especially this season, the league is so equal. It’s very, very competitive.
“Everyone can beat everyone and we see it every weekend. That’s why we always see an opportunity. We always see a chance.
“Of course, we have a lot of respect. City is, for me, still the best team in the world, they have the best manager in the world.
“But in the end, it’s a game and we play at home and we want to continue our process and we see this as a next opportunity to challenge the establishment.”
Man City need to get back on track before international break
A look at Man City’s fixture list after the international break throws up some huge matches, meaning Guardiola will need to get his side back to winning ways as soon as he can.
City return from the break by hosting Tottenham, before a midweek Champions League tie against Feyenoord, with City now outside the top eight in the competition’s league phase
December kicks off with a visit to Anfield where they will face current leaders Liverpool.
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