Can Manchester City attack the CL places?
This is the question we want to be able to answer at the end of the Manchester City vs. Brighton forecast. To do that, we will now take a closer look at the two teams and analyze their respective strengths and weaknesses. But first, let’s look at the home and away records of the two teams. Here, the Citizens are ahead, because in their own stadium, the Citizens get an average of 2.0 points per league game. On the away side, it is just 1.57. So, this point goes to the home side.
Manchester City – statistics & current form
Manchester City will be far from satisfied with the current season. With six championships in the last seven years, Pep Guardiola’s team naturally wanted to play for the title again this season. But with only 47 points from 28 games, the Citizens are far from it and are already 23 points behind Liverpool, who are top of the table. It gets even worse for Pep Guardiola’s men, as they are currently only in fifth place and therefore have to fear for their participation in the Champions League. A win against Brighton & Hove Albion would therefore be extremely important.
Manchester City with great offensive qualities
With 53 goals in 28 league games (Ø 1.89), the home side have one of the best attacks in the Premier League. In fact, only two teams, Liverpool and Tottenham, have scored more. It is therefore no surprise that Pep Guardiola’s team have only kept a clean sheet four times, meaning that they have found the back of the net in 86% of PL games. The outstanding man in the Citizens’ offensive line-up is once again Erling Braut Haaland. The Norwegian center forward already has 23 scorer points in the league and was directly involved in 43% of the goals. That is an incredibly good value!
City with problems in defense
The Skyblues have spent a damn lot of money on defenders in recent years and have usually been rewarded for it. This season, however, there’s been no sign of that, with 38 goals conceded in 28 games (Ø 1.36), more than in the entire previous season. To put it even more clearly: defensively, the Citizens are playing their weakest season in over a decade. It is therefore not surprising that the home side have only kept a clean sheet seven times and have thus had to concede in 75% of the league games.
Brighton – Statistics & current form
Brighton are having an excellent season, picking up 46 points from their first 28 games. This puts Fabian Hürzeler’s team in seventh place, just outside the international places. In fact, the Seagulls are currently just one point short of a place in the Europa League. If their current run continues, the Champions League places would also be within reach. However, the competition is fierce, with eight teams – Arsenal, Nottingham, Chelsea, Manchester City, Newcastle, Aston Villa and Bournemouth – fighting for places two to five. Where will Brighton finish the season?
Brighton rarely go without a goal
The Seagulls scored 46 goals (Ø 1.64) in the first 28 league games and are ranked ninth in the league. That doesn’t sound particularly strong at first, but appearances are deceptive here. Fabian Hürzeler’s team have only kept a clean sheet four times in the Premier League, putting the ball in the opposition’s net in 86% of their matches. Away from home, the rate is even better again at 93%. It will therefore be damn difficult for Manchester City to keep the guests out for 90 minutes. We are even fairly certain that the away team will score.
Brighton a little too vulnerable defensively
With 40 goals conceded in 28 PL games (Ø 1.43), the Seagulls lack a little stability. In a league-wide comparison, Brighton only ranks tenth with this value and thus in the middle of the Premier League. It is therefore no wonder that Fabian Hürzeler’s team have only kept a clean sheet seven times and thus conceded at least one goal in 75% of the league games. In the fight for international places, that could of course be too much. Away from home, however, the rate is slightly better at just 71%. In the clash between Manchester City and Brighton, betting on a clean sheet against one of the best attacking lines in the English top flight is therefore rather unlikely.
Manchester City – Brighton Direct comparison / H2H record
Based on the facts mentioned so far, the home side seem to have the better chances of winning – but what about the head-to-head comparison? It’s a clear-cut matter: the Seagulls have only won six of 33 duels (18%). By comparison, the Citizens are currently on 21 wins (67%). It is therefore no surprise that the Manchester City vs. Brighton betting odds are relatively clear in favor of a home win. However, the away team will not be without chances, as the first-leg game went to the outsider.
Manchester City – Brighton betting tip
We have decided on “Both teams to score” for the Manchester City vs. Brighton betting tip. The reasons for this are relatively obvious. While the Citizens have one of the best attacks in the entire Premier League, the Seagulls have rarely gone without scoring themselves. Furthermore, both teams lack the necessary stability in defense, so we can expect chances on both sides in the Manchester City v Brighton game. In addition, both teams have scored in four of the last five duels.
Alternatively, we recommend the Manchester City vs. Brighton odds for a home win. The Citizens are clearly lagging behind in terms of form, but they perform much better in their own stadium than on the road. In addition, Pep Guardiola’s team has more quality and even has the most valuable squad in the world. We therefore expect a narrow but ultimately deserved victory for the favorites.