Man City have not played well recently and they understand that they need to quickly get back on track with a win against Brighton in round 9 of the Premier League.
Brighton are not in good form at the moment. They have not won 4 consecutive matches, including 3 away matches. If we only consider Man City's home record, Brighton have lost their last 7 matches.
Contrary to the image of a strong obstacle, Brighton has lacked the necessary efficiency in recent rounds. This is the time when coach De Zebri may have to adjust his personnel.
Up front, Evan Ferguson and Pedro deserve to start with their energy. Danny Welbeck has a knack for scoring goals and experience, but time has taken away the English striker's speed and power.
Haaland needs to prove his role as Man City struggle.
Even Ansu Fati on the bench would be a notable adjustment on the left flank if Kaoru Mitoma continues to struggle. But first, Brighton's midfield needs to create enough passes to be able to continuously provide the ball to the strikers.
In theory, it is not easy for Brighton to control the ball against Man City. The biggest problem for The Citizens is the ability to tear apart the opponent's defense - something Kevin de Bruyne often does. But when the Belgian midfielder is absent, Man City are forced to wait for Foden, Alvarez, Doku or Kovacic to do it.
Meanwhile, Haaland really needs an explosive match to prove that he is still excellent without his senior Kevin de Bruyne. The star born in 2000 shows signs of being caught.
Haaland's dribbling is not effective. If he has to play alone, Haaland needs to take advantage of his size and one-touch finishing ability instead of trying to dribble past the opposing defender.
Taking advantage of their opportunities, Man City will still win against the away team. But this is certainly not an easy match for Pep Guardiola and his team.
Prediction: Man City 3-2 Brighton
Expected lineup:
Man City: Ederson Moraes, Kyle Walker, Dias, Akanji, Josko Gvardiol, Rodri, Kovacic, Foden, Alvarez, Jeremy Doku, Haaland.
Brighton: Verbruggen, Veltman, Lewis Dunk, Webster, Lamptey, Billy Gilmour, Pascal Gross, March, Pedro, Mitoma, Ferguson.
Mai Phuong
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