Manchester City vs Brighton: Projected lineups for the 2026-27 Premier League match

Manchester City host Brighton with both sides looking to bounce back from defeats suffered just a day apart last month.

Manchester City come into this one off a 1-2 loss to Aston Villa on October 24 that snapped a two-game winning run. Before that they beat Ipswich Town 3-2 on October 17 and hammered Liverpool 3-0 on October 11, so the attacking numbers have been there even as the Villa result stung. A win here would put that setback behind them and reassert their grip on the top of the table picture.

Brighton arrive having fallen 0-2 to Liverpool on October 25, a result that followed back-to-back wins over Crystal Palace and Sunderland. The 5-0 thrashing of Palace on October 18 showed the squad’s attacking depth, and the 2-0 win at Sunderland on October 10 before that pointed to a settled defensive base. Getting something at the Etihad would steady the ship after the Liverpool reverse and keep Brighton’s season on track.

Enzo Maresca sends out a 4-2-3-1 with Gianluigi Donnarumma behind a back four of Matheus Nunes, Rúben Dias, Abdukodir Khusanov and Joško Gvardiol. Enzo Fernández and Elliot Anderson sit in midfield behind a front line of Rayan Cherki, Iliman Ndiaye and Jérémy Doku supporting Erling Haaland. There are no listed absences, so Maresca has his full squad to choose from, and the shape is built to get Doku and Cherki isolating Brighton’s full-backs while Haaland looks to add to the goal tally from the recent Ipswich and Liverpool wins.

Manchester City projected starting XI (4-2-3-1): Gianluigi Donnarumma, Matheus Nunes, Rúben Dias, Abdukodir Khusanov, Joško Gvardiol, Elliot Anderson, Rayan Cherki, Enzo Fernández, Iliman Ndiaye, Erling Haaland, Jérémy Doku. Coach: Enzo Maresca.

Fabian Hürzeler also goes with a 4-2-3-1, with Bart Verbruggen in goal behind Costinha, Luka Vušković, Lewis Dunk and Olivier Boscagli. Pascal Gross and Yasin Ayari screen the back line while Chema Andrés, Diego Gómez and Maxim De Cuyper support Charalampos Kostoulas up front. Brighton are missing a long list of players including Kaoru Mitoma, Yankuba Minteh, Evan Ferguson and Mats Wieffer, which strips out a lot of attacking and midfield depth, and Hürzeler will need the likes of Gómez and Andrés to carry more creative responsibility than usual against a City side at full strength.

Brighton projected starting XI (4-2-3-1): Bart Verbruggen, Costinha, Luka Vušković, Lewis Dunk, Olivier Boscagli, Pascal Gross, Yasin Ayari, Chema Andrés, Diego Gómez, Charalampos Kostoulas, Maxim De Cuyper. Coach: Fabian Hürzeler.