Manchester City welcome Brighton to the Etihad for this Premier League (PL) clash, with the home side having recovered from their Champions League hiccup against Lyon with two straight big-margin wins.
City set a new record for goals scored last season (106; 2.8 on average per match) and so far are on par to do even better – 19 goals in their first six games is by far the highest in the league (3.17 on average).
In front of their own fans they’ve won eight of their last ten league matches (W8, D1, L1), winning by a margin of 2+ goals in six of those games – a margin they comfortably secured in both fixtures against Brighton last season.
The visitors have found themselves 2-0 down in three straight games, remarkably fighting back to get a point on two occasions. They’ve now conceded the first goal in six of their seven matches this season (in all competitions), and are winless in five consecutive games.
In fact Brighton had the poorest away record of any PL team in 2017/18 (W2, D5, L12), and against a free-scoring City here, it’s worth noting that nine of those 12 away defeats last season were by a 2+ goal margin. However this is true for just one of their away matches this campaign (D1, L2).
LIVE STREAMING MANCHESTER CITY VS BRIGHTON 29 SEPTEMBER 2018.
Players to watch: Sergio Aguero (City) scored one goal against Brighton last season, and like Glen Murray (Brighton) has four goals in six PL games so far.
Stat attack: The hosts have won 43 of their last 53 PL matches (W43, D6, L4).
City have registered 140 shots in their six PL matches, which is 29 more than any other PL team over the same period.
Brighton’s 12 yellow cards is the third-highest in the league, and they’ve had 2+ bookings in four of their six games so far.
Will not play
Bravo C.
(Achilles Tendon Injury)
De Bruyne K.
(Knee Injury)
Mangala E.
(Knee Injury)
Mendy B.
(Ankle Injury)
Sandler P.
(Knee Injury)
Questionable
Gross P.
(Ankle Injury)
Stephens D.
(Thigh Injury)
Match Information
Referee: Mason L. (Eng)
Venue: Etihad Stadium (Manchester)
Commentary
Lee Mason will officiate today.