Manchester City vs Brighton – News and Probable Lineups

On Wednesday night, two teams eager to recover from disappointing Premier League outings over the weekend will meet in the fourth round of the EFL Cup, as reigning champions Manchester City host Brighton & Hove Albion.

The Etihad Stadium match marks the first of a quickfire double-header between the two sides, with a league clash set to follow just three days later.

Match overview

After beginning his tenure with Enzo Maresca with seven consecutive Premier League victories, Manchester City’s perfect run in the top division was halted by a 2-1 defeat at Aston Villa on Saturday – marking their fourth straight loss at Villa Park.

The Citizens were unable to break a longstanding club record for consecutive league wins established since the 1897-98 season. Instead, giving away two avoidable goals either side of the break proved costly, and the loss has allowed the champions, Arsenal, to catch up at the top of the standings.

Concerns about Manchester City’s defence have risen lately, as they have let in nine goals in their last four matches across all competitions and have failed to secure a clean sheet during this stretch; they had conceded eight times in their first nine games of the season.

Maresca’s team will wrap up October with consecutive clashes against Brighton – who are the third-highest scoring team in Europe (34 goals) – and they are heading into this fixture hoping to avoid a third defeat in five matches across all competitions.

Manchester City, who have won the EFL Cup nine times and are chasing Liverpool’s record of 10 triumphs, cruised to a 5-0 home win over Norwich City in the third round last month. However, they have not tasted victory in their last four encounters with Brighton, recording two draws and two losses, and have faced EFL Cup exits before the fifth round in three of the last five seasons.

Having netted three goals or more in five out of six matches in all competitions, including a 5-0 rout against M23 rivals Crystal Palace, Brighton’s high-scoring side, managed by Fabian Hurzeler, is searching for form after failing to find the net in their last two outings against FK Baumit Jablonec and Liverpool.

A goalless Conference League encounter in the Czech Republic against Jablonec was followed, three days later, by a 2-0 loss in the Premier League at Anfield against Liverpool, where the Seagulls enjoyed a dominating 64% possession but managed only a single shot on target.

This was described as a “missed opportunity” by Hurzeler, who asserted that his Brighton squad was the only side “trying to create and win” while on Merseyside. Nevertheless, the Seagulls find themselves third in the Premier League and five points clear of Brentford in sixth.

Next for Brighton is the third of five consecutive away games within a challenging 16-day stretch. The Seagulls have never secured an away win against Manchester City in 17 previous attempts (D3 L14), though they did manage draws in their last two league visits (2-2 in March 2025 and 1-1 in January 2026).

Brighton’s EFL Cup history is also disappointing, with the club being eliminated in the fourth round in five of the last six years – having lost 2-0 at Arsenal last season – and they haven’t moved beyond the fourth round since the 1978-79 campaign.

Team News

For Manchester City, the only player absent due to injury is Antoine Semenyo (knee). Matheus Nunes and Nico O’Reilly, who were both left on the bench against Villa after minor issues, are now available for selection as full-backs for Wednesday’s clash.

Gianluigi Donnarumma, responsible for the second goal conceded at Villa, may be replaced by new cup goalkeeper Geronimo Rulli, while Phil Foden, Ayyoub Bouaddi, Mateo Kovacic, Allan, and Ryan McAiddo are all candidates for a recall if Maresca decides to make changes to his starting XI.

Erling Haaland has scored 13 times in 11 appearances this season, but after returning from a swollen foot to score and play the full 90 minutes against Villa, Maresca might consider resting his star striker against Brighton.

Seventeen-year-old Floyd Samba, who scored twice on his senior debut in the third-round victory over Norwich, could be given the chance to lead the attack if Haaland is rested.

On the Brighton side, they are anxiously monitoring the fitness of full-back Ferdi Kadioglu and midfielder Chema Andres, who were substituted due to respective hip and muscle injuries sustained in the loss to Liverpool.

It remains uncertain if Mats Wieffer (knee) or Yankuba Minteh (ankle) will be ready to return after making progress in their recovery from long-term injuries, while Kaoru Mitoma, Femi Azeez, and Pascal Struijk (all thigh), as well as Evan Ferguson (ankle) and Stefanos Tzimas (knee), are still out.

Hurzeler is likely to adjust his starting lineup, with Costinha and Jaouen Hadjam strong candidates to come in as full-backs, while Jack Hinshelwood, Malick Yalcouye, and Matt O’Riley will all be pushing for a place in midfield.

Charalampos Kostoulas leads the team with five goals in all competitions this season, including one in the third-round win at Old Trafford, but the 19-year-old could be replaced up front by Georginio Rutter.

Manchester City probable starting XI:

Rolls; Lewis, Khusanov, Dias, O’Reilly; Bouaddi, Kovacic; Allan, Foden, Dock; The Netherlands

Brighton & Hove Albion probable starting XI:

Steele; Costinha, Vuskovic, Dunk, Hadjam; Gross, Yalcouye; Gomez, Hinshelwood, Osman; Rutter

A thrilling and high-paced cup tie is anticipated at the Etihad, featuring the only two Premier League sides that have already surpassed the 20-goal mark this season.

With Manchester City’s ongoing defensive frailties offering Brighton hope, both managers are anticipated to rotate their squads, but we expect the home side to surpass the Seagulls in a high-scoring contest to advance to the fifth round.