Brighton vs Man City: Football Previews & Free Football Betting Tips
Brighton welcome Manchester City to the Amex in an early measuring stick for both. The hosts are bedding in a raft of summer signings; City arrive with star power, new faces of their own and a point to prove after last weekend’s defeat.
Expect a full house and a proper noise: Brighton’s end is usually on its feet for the big ones, while City’s travelling support is large and loud. Tactically, Brighton lean into a 4-2-3-1 that can morph to a back three in build-up, using the full-backs high and the tens between lines. City are typically a 4-3-3 — control via the pivot, width from Doku/Savinho and rotations around Foden — with plenty of set-piece threat.
Out: Adam Webster (knee, long-term), Solly March (knee), Julio Enciso (knee).
Doubts: Georginio Rutter (knock/fitness).
Available/new faces worth noting: Maxim De Cuyper, Ferdi Kadıoğlu, Olivier Boscagli, Diego Coppola, Mats Wieffer, Matt O’Riley, Yankuba Minteh. Likely spine: Verbruggen behind Dunk/van Hecke, double pivot of Baleba + Wieffer, with Mitoma and Minteh supplying Welbeck.
Out: Rayan Cherki (thigh).
Doubts/returns: Rayan Aït-Nouri (ankle, improving). Rodri expected to be managed for minutes; Ederson fit.
Likely roles: Reijnders to knit midfield tempo with Bernardo, supply for Haaland. Wide thrust from Doku/Savinho; Rúben Dias anchors the back line.
Brighton (last 10, all comps): W4 D2 L4 — goals 12–12 (1.2 scored / 1.2 conceded per game), 5 clean sheets. They’re generally compact, but the attack can stall against deep blocks; most threat comes when Mitoma isolates his full-back or from quick switches to Minteh.
Man City (last 10, all comps): W7 D1 L2 — goals 22–6 (2.2 scored / 0.6 conceded per game), 5 clean sheets. They’ve looked ruthless when ahead; the one concern is early-season cohesion with new starters and a couple of knocks.
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| Metric (recent / last season where noted) | Brighton | Man City |
|---|---|---|
| Avg goals scored (last 10) | 1.2 | 2.2 |
| Avg goals conceded (last 10) | 1.2 | 0.6 |
| Clean sheet % (last 10) | 50% | 50% |
| Possession (season baseline) | 53.5% | 59.5% |
| xG per game (baseline) | 1.95 | 4.00 |
| Shots per game | 7.5 (2.5 on target) | 11.0 (3.0 on target) |
| Yellow cards per game | 2.5 | 0.5 |
| Points per game (2025/26 so far) | 1.33 | 1.50 |
Brighton at the Amex (last 10 home in league, rolling): roughly W5–D3–L2, about ~1.4 GF / ~1.1 GA with four clean sheets — sturdy and usually on top of the ball.
Man City away (last 10 in all comps, rolling): around W6–D2–L2, approximately ~2.1 GF / ~1.1 GA, frequent control phases and strong set-play output from right-side deliveries.
Brighton — Kaoru Mitoma: Electric in 1v1s and Brighton’s best route to pinning back City’s right side. If he gets early isolation, the Amex will sense chances.
Man City — Erling Haaland: Already among the goals this month and thrives on low, cut-back service. Brighton’s centre-backs must deny the near-post run.
Brighton 0–2 Man City
City’s control game plus Haaland’s edge in the box, and Brighton’s attacking absentees, tilt a competitive contest. Expect the visitors to manage phases, nick one either side of the hour, and squeeze the space late on.
Main pick: Man City to win — superior chance creation and Brighton missing key attackers point the value that way.
Value angle: Under 3.5 Goals — Brighton’s last 10 feature a low BTTS rate and City have been efficient rather than chaotic away.
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