Man City vs Brighton: Teams announced as Kevin De Bruyne & Ilkay Gundogan among six changes

Kevin De Bruyne and Ilkay Gundogan are two of six changes for Manchester City as they welcome Brighton & Hove Albion to the Etihad Stadium on Wednesday night.

The midfield pair had been doubts through injury, but return for the champions in what will be a huge boost for Pep Guardiola.

Elsewhere, Ederson, Aymeric Laporte, Rodri and Riyad Mahrez return to the team after missing out on Saturday.

It’s Zack Steffen, Oleksandr Zinchenko, Fernandinho, Raheem Sterling, Gabriel Jesus and Jack Grealish who drop out of the side after starting in the FA Cup loss to Liverpool at Wembley.

City start with Ederson in nets, ahead of a back four of Joao Cancelo, John Stones, Laporte and Nathan Ake, with the latter expected to play at left-back.

In midfield, it looks likely to be Rodri, Gundogan and De Bruyne, with Mahrez on the right wing and Phil Foden on the opposite flank. Meanwhile, Bernardo Silva is the most likely option to play up front.

Ruben Dias continues on the bench for City, with Cole Palmer also named among the substitutes.

For Brighton, ex-Manchester United forward Danny Welbeck starts, while Yves Bissouma and Leandro Trossard miss out altogether.

The Seagulls are 10th in the table, and won away to Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur in their last two outings.

As for City, three points would see them return to the top of the table, following Liverpool’s 4-0 win over United on Tuesday night, which saw them move into first place.

Teams in full

Manchester City: Ederson; Cancelo, Stones, Laporte, Ake; Rodri, Gundogan, De Bruyne; Mahrez, Silva, Foden.

Substitutions: Steffen, Dias, Zinchenko, Fernandinho, Lavia, Palmer, Sterling, Jesus, Grealish.

Brighton & Hove Albion: Sanchez; Lamptey, Dunk, Veltman, Cucurella; Gross, McAllister, Mwepu, March; Caicedo, Welbeck.

Substitutions: Steele, McGill, Webster, Lallana, Maupay, Leonard, Offiah, Ferguson, Sarmiento.