Manchester City vs Brighton & Hove Albion Predictions, Lineups & Betting Tips

Manchester City vs Brighton & Hove Albion Predictions, Lineups & Betting Tips

Match Details: January 7th, 2026 | Etihad Stadium | Premier League | 19:30 (GMT)

The Seagulls head North to take on Manchester City at the Etihad, an unhappy hunting ground for Brighton in previous years. Unbeaten in 10, the Citizens are proving to be one of the toughest sides to beat in the league this season; however, four dropped points in their last two games spell out the need for a win this Wednesday if they are to keep up with Arsenal and Aston Villa.

Key Betting Tip: Man City to Win at 1.42 odds (talkSPORT BET) represents excellent value based on the tip provided by our team of in-house tipsters.

Manchester City vs Brighton & Hove Albion Predicted Lineups

Manchester City Predicted XI: Donnarumma, Nunes, Ake, Khusanov, O’Reilly, Reijnders, Rodri, Silva, Foden, Cherki, Haaland

Team News: Nico Gonzalez, Savinho, John Stones, Mateo Kovacic, and Oscar Bobb are all absent due to injury. Rayan Ait-Nouri and Omar Marmoush continue to be away at the African Cup of Nations.

Brighton & Hove Albion Predicted XI: Verbruggen, Kadioglu, Dunk, Van Hecke, Veltman, Gomez, Ayari, Mitoma, Rutter, Gruda, Welbeck

Team News: Yankuba Minteh, Adam Webster, Mats Wieffer, Solly March, and Stefanos Tzimas are all absent due to injury.

Manchester City vs Brighton & Hove Albion Current League Standings

Manchester City enters this match in 2nd place with 42 points, currently trailing league leaders Arsenal by 6 points. They boast one of the most potent attacks in the league with 44 goals scored and a goal difference of +26. They host Brighton, who are currently in 10th place with 28 points. The Seagulls have a balanced record (30 scored, 27 conceded) and sit 14 points behind City. For Brighton, this is a chance to break back into the European conversation, while City cannot afford to drop points if they want to keep pace with the Gunners.

Manchester City vs Brighton & Hove Albion Head-to-Head Timeline

This fixture has been played out 35 times in its history. Over half of those meetings have occurred since 2017. Man City have been dominant, winning 21 times, Brighton have 8 wins, and there have been 6 draws.

City are winless against the Albion in their last three games, the first time that has ever happened in this fixture.

Recent Head-to-Head Results:

• August 2025: Brighton & Hove Albion 2-1 Manchester City (Premier League)
• March 2025: Manchester City 2-2 Brighton & Hove Albion (Premier League)
• November 2024: Brighton & Hove Albion 2-1 Manchester City (Premier League)
• April 2024: Brighton & Hove Albion 0-4 Manchester City (Premier League)
• October 2023: Manchester City 2-1 Brighton & Hove Albion (Premier League)

Recent Manchester City and Brighton & Hove Albion Matches Analysis

Manchester City Last 5 Matches:

• Manchester City 1-1 Chelsea (Premier League)
• Sunderland 0-0 Manchester City (Premier League)
• Nottingham Forest 1-2 **Manchester City (Premier League)
• Manchester City 3-0 West Ham United (Premier League)
• Manchester City 2-0 Brentford (League Cup)

Having drawn their last two matches against Sunderland (0-0) and Chelsea (1-1). Pep Guardiola’s side is currently six points adrift of leaders Arsenal, and the primary concern is a sudden lack of "killer instinct" in the final third. While the return of Rodri and Jeremy Doku has stabilized the midfield, City are struggling to turn heavy possession into comfortable leads. This leaves them vulnerable to counter-attacking sides. As they prepare for Brighton, the pressure is immense; City can no longer afford "moral victories" or dominant draws if they want to keep the title race within reach.

Brighton & Hove Albion Last 5 Matches:

• Brighton & Hove Albion 2-0 Burnley (Premier League)
• West Ham United 2-2 Brighton & Hove Albion (Premier League)
• Arsenal 2-1 Brighton & Hove Albion (Premier League)
• Brighton & Hove Albion 0-0 Sunderland (Premier League)
• Liverpool 2-0 Brighton & Hove Albion (Premier League)

Brighton snapped a frustrating six-game winless streak with a clinical 2-0 win over Burnley last time out. Before this, the Seagulls had been the league’s "draw specialists," often dominating games without finding the finishing touch. Brighton are finally finding a way to balance their beautiful build-up play with efficiency. As they head to the Etihad to face a stuttering Man City, Brighton will be fearless. They have the technical quality to match City's midfield and, given City’s recent struggles to close out games, Brighton will view this as a genuine opportunity to claim a top-four scalp.

Manchester City vs Brighton & Hove Albion Predictions

Our advanced algorithm analyses over 200 data points to generate these predictions with 66.7% confidence in a Man City win. The model factors in current form, head-to-head records, player availability, and tactical matchups.

Best Manchester City vs Brighton & Hove Albion Betting Tips

Football Park’s Best Bet: Man City to Win @ 1.45 - Our team of in-house betting tipsters have predicted a home win in this fixture. Their superior form, home advantage and head-to-head record justify confidence in this selection.

Key Players to Watch: Manchester City vs Brighton & Hove Albion

Tijjani Reijnders (Manchester City): A goal in each of his last three starts for the Citizens, Reijnders continues to prove himself as one of the signings of the season, and an everpresent in Pep Guardiola’s midfield.

Georginio Rutter (Brighton & Hove Albion): Starting the new year with a return to the scoresheet, the Frenchman hasn’t been as prolific as he was last year, but still plays an important role in the Albion’s system. It’s expected he will find himself amongst the goals increasingly

Manchester City vs Brighton & Hove Albion Match Facts

Broadcast Details: Sky Sports Main Event, Sky Sports+, Sky Go

Stadium Information: Located within the Etihad Campus in East Manchester, the Etihad Stadium (originally the City of Manchester Stadium) was built in 2002 to host the Commonwealth Games before being converted into a football-specific arena in 2003. As of early 2026, the stadium is undergoing a significant North Stand expansion to increase its footprint and amenities. Its current football capacity sits at 53,400, though ongoing developments are set to push that figure beyond 60,000 by the end of the year.

Referee: Thomas Bramall (England)