Brighton & Hove Albion v Manchester City: TV details, how to watch, injury news and predicted starting XIs

The Citizens were victorious in midweek, defeating Club Brugge 5-1 in Belgium, with a brace from Riyad Mahrez, a first European goal from Cole Palmer as well as goals from full-backs João Cancelo and Kyle Walker.

City are currently third in the table, two points behind league leaders Chelsea, but could fall further behind given the Blues kick-off against Norwich City at lunchtime.

Saturday’s opponents Brighton have started strongly, sitting fourth in the league, two points behind the Citizens, with just one defeat in their opening eight games.

In their last game they were held to a goalless draw by basement side Norwich City which was their third consecutive draw, with their last league win coming in mid-September against Leicester City.

Last season, Man City edged out the Seagulls at the Etihad with Phil Foden scoring the only goal but they then got their revenge with a 3-2 win in May. Ilkay Gundogan and Phil Foden had given City the lead but the plucky side bounced back with Leandro Trossard and Adam Webster responding well to the 2-0 deficit before Dan Burn sealed the win.

What’s the latest team news?

Ferran Torres remains in the early stages of his recovery after fracturing his metatarsal whilst on international duty with Spain.

John Stones was missing from City’s Champions League squad earlier this week due to personal reasons.

There were some worries that he may be nursing an injury but Stones was pictured in training and could be in contention for Saturday’s match.

What about the opposition?

Brighton have been hit with a double whammy that two of their attacking players will face a lengthy spell on the sidelines after both undergoing surgery. Colombian midfielder Steven Alzate has injured his ankle.

It is a blow given how he has begun to cement himself in their team after making 40 appearances over the past three seasons.

Welbeck meanwhile has damaged his hamstring, which has seen him go under the knife. The former United forward scored the winner against Leicester, but his absence from the side means Brighton have to find a different goal source.  The 30-year-old had a hamstring injury towards the end of last season and it has continued into this campaign, flaring up in pre-season, before impacting him during the last international break.

In his pre-match press conference, manager Graham Potter says that Adam Webster has an ‘outside’ chance of being in the squad, having since returned to training.

French forward Neal Maupay is Brighton’s top scorer this season with four goals in as many games whilst there have also been contributions from four other players. In terms of assists, Pascal Groß has two this season.

Predicted line-ups

Brighton: Sanchez, Burn, Dunk, Duffy, Veltman, Lallana, Moder, Gross, Cucurella, Maupay, Trossard.

Manchester City: Ederson, Walker, Dias, Laporte, Cancelo, Rodrigo, De Bruyne, Bernardo, Foden, Mahrez, Jesus.

Is the match on TV?

Tickets are completely sold out for this one, so if you’re without one then the only place in the UK you’ll be able to watch it live is on Sky Sports.

It will be available on both Sky Sports Premier league and Sky Sports Main Event with coverage beginning at 17:00 pm, giving a half-hour build-up.

If you have a Sky Sports subscription but you’re not in the house, you can watch the game on your phone or laptop on their portable app Sky Go.

How can I watch highlights?

Should you miss out the live viewing of the game, you can watch Match of the Day on BBC One at 10:30 pm.  Highlights will also be available on the Sky Sports App following the completion of the game, as well as on the Sky Sports YouTube channel.

There will also be post-match analysis of the match here on ManchesterWorld.