The Seagulls await Pep Guardiola’s men on the south coast this Sunday, with both sides entering the tie following defeat. Will Fabian Hürzeler’s Brighton claim their first victory of the season over the Cityzens, or do the Sky Blues spell trouble for the seasiders?

Manchester City looked to have reestablished their status as fierce title contenders with a 4-0 opening day victory over Wolves, as new signings Tijani Reijnders and Rayan Cherki impressed with a goal apiece on their Premier League debuts.

While it had seemed so easy for City to exploit the spaces vacated by the hosts, a week later and Guardiola’s side were the ones to buckle under the intensity of a tenacious Tottenham Hotspur. A ball over the top undealt with by the City defence allowed Brennan Jonhson to soon strike home, with a poorly chosen pass from James Trafford inviting João Palhinha to double the visitors’ advantage before half-time.

The Sky Blues did have chances to both open the scoring and halve the deficit, however- in a similar fashion to their upcoming opponents- they failed to convert. This was the story of the Seagulls’ 1-1 draw with Fulham, as a wild misfire from Yankuba Minteh and Lewis Dunk header into the outer side netting allowed Rodrigo Muniz to half-volley his way to heroism for the Cottagers.

A visit to the Hill Dickinson Stadium proved another frustrating afternoon for the Seagulls, as Matt O’Riley lacked the initiative required to convert past Jordan Pickford, while striker Danny Welbeck squandered a tap-in and shot from the penalty spot. Everton’s Iliman Ndiaye and a sweet long-range strike from James Garner ensured the Toffees instead secured the 2-0 victory in Merseyside.

With Brighton and City respectively holding lofty ambitions of securing European football and clinching another Premier League title, a victory ahead of the international break would surely be a significant boost for either side.

Right here, right now

Brighton vs Manchester City will kick-off at 2pm BST on Sunday, August 31, 2025.

The match will take place at the Amex Stadium, and can be watched live in the UK on Sky Sports. Coverage starts at 1pm on both Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Ultra HDR.

Briefing from the bosses

Brighton manager Hürzeler has faced Manchester City twice in his managerial career, taking four points from the Cityzens across both contests.

In his pre-match press conference, the German said on facing Guardiola: “I always emphasise that Pep is the best (manager) maybe in the world. It’s always an honour to play against him, and of course a joy to beat his teams.

“But I think it’s a different game on Sunday, a different team we will face and different faces. We are in a different stage, they are in a different stage…

“It’s very important to be grounded and to keep working, that’s the main thing because it’s a long way to go, it’s a long journey to go. Not one game makes a difference, it’s like the consistency that makes the difference. That’s something we really need to keep an eye on.”

Meanwhile, Guardiola proved characteristically reluctant to give away any of his plans for Sunday’s fixture, stating that he will make his choice on Saturday to play Trafford or Ederson following the former’s imperfect performance against Spurs.

When asked about Brighton’s start to the new campaign, the Catalan said: “It’s a really good team who proved it last season and the previous ones with (Roberto) De Zerbi or Graham Potter. Since a long, long time it’s a really, really good team.”

Team news

Guardiola has confirmed that Rayan Aït-Nouri is fit to start at left-back against Brighton, after he was substituted for an ankle injury in the 23rd minute against Tottenham Hotspur.

The subject of recent transfer talk Savinho will not be involved in this weekend’s fixture, after Guardiola insisted he will only discuss potential departing players following the close of the transfer window next Monday.

Rumours have also arisen on Saturday morning of Rayan Cherki suffering a thigh injury, ruling him out of a trip to the south coast. The 22-year-old played 54 minutes against Tottenham Hotspur last weekend.

Elsewhere, Rodri is expected to receive some minutes against Brighton as he continues his journey to full fitness. The Spanish midfielder featured in the closing stages against Spurs, replacing Nico González who is expected to start in the holding midfield role once again.

Meanwhile, Mateo Kovačić remains sidelined following achilles surgery and should return after the international break. Joško Gvardiol could, however, feature in the matchday squad for the first time this season after recovering from an unknown knock.

For the hosts, Georginio Rutter’s availability remains uncertain, with Hürzeler revealing that the forward didn’t train on Wednesday after his absence from both the Everton and Oxford matchday squads.

A forward who did make an appearance against the U’s, however, was that of Greek striker Stefanos Tzimas. The 21-year-old scored a brace within just eleven minutes of his Brighton debut, however Hürzeler believes the player is in need of more time to adapt before featuring in the English top flight.

The 32-year-old manager suggested that Tzimas could play a part in this weekend’s matchday squad, or instead receive some minutes with the Under-21s, and that such a decision will be made between himself, the medical staff, and Tzimas.

Adam Webster has also been ruled out for the majority of the season following knee surgery last month. Solly March and Julio Enciso join the Brighton centre-back as those to miss this weekend’s contest through injury.

Key battles

There is an air of uncertainty surrounding both holding midfielders, with Brighton’s Carlos Baleba appearing to not be at his front-footed and impactful best following a recent knee injury. City’s Reijnders and Phil Foden/Bernardo Silva could subsequently prove a handful for the Cameroonian and Yasin Ayari as they look to drive through the midfield.

Meanwhile González is expected to start in the six role for City while Rodri returns to full fitness. With the 23-year-old arguably not holding the same physical build and defensive screening abilities as his Spanish teammate, Brighton will surely look to test the midfielder.

Both sets of fullbacks will also need to be on top form to contain their opponents. Albion’s Minteh and City’s Oscar Bobb have arguably been both sides’ standout players in their opening two fixtures.

New Seagulls’ signing and left-back Maxim de Cuyper will, therefore, need to find the balance between showcasing his trademark attacking abilities and containing the skilful Bobb. A similar story can be said for City left-back Aït-Nouri as he assumes the role of silencing a pacy Minteh.

Head-to-head

While Brighton have often struggled to get the better of their northern opponents, the seasiders proved unbeaten in their two meetings with Manchester City last season.

A 2-1 victory saw the Seagulls claim all three points at the Amex Stadium in November 2024, followed by an enthralling 2-2 draw at the Etihad Stadium in March this year.

Brighton wins: 7

Manchester City wins: 21

Draws: 6

Predicted lineups

Brighton’s lineup is expected to remain unchanged from their 2-0 defeat to Everton in Merseyside.

Brighton starting XI: Bart Verbruggen; Mats Wieffer, Jan Paul van Hecke, Lewis Dunk, Maxim de Cuyper; Carlos Baleba, Yasin Ayari, Matt O’Riley; Yankuba Minteh, Danny Welbeck, Kaoru Mitoma

Brighton substitutes: Diego Coppola, Diego Gómez, Brajan Gruda, Jack Hinshelwood, Ferdi Kadıoğlu, James Milner, Jason Steele, Stefanos Tzimas, Joël Veltman

One change is anticipated from City’s lineup against Spurs, with Foden replacing Cherki. The 25-year-old holds an impressive record against the Seagulls, with eight goals in 12 Premier League appearances.

Manchester City starting XI: James Trafford; Rico Lewis, Ruben Dias, John Stones, Rayan Aït-Nouri; Nico González, Tijani Reijnders, Phil Foden; Oscar Bobb, Erling Haaland, Omar Marmoush

Manchester City substitutes: Manuel Akanji, Nathan Aké, Jeremy Doku, Ederson, Abdukodir Khusanov, Matheus Nunes, Nico O’Reilly, Rodri, Bernardo Silva

Scoreline prediction

Brighton 1-3 Manchester City

With Brighton squandering their opportunities to score against the Toffees, I believe they will get back to goalscoring ways on Sunday.

However, my concerns lie with the Seagulls’ midfield. As aforementioned, Baleba has looked quiet since his knee injury and O’Riley has failed to make an impact in his first two performances of the season.

If City’s holding midfielder González can produce a strong defensive display, and Reijnders shines as he did against Wolves then the visitors may just overpower the hosts.

Lively wingers Bobb and Omar Marmoush may also fancy themselves to get the better of Brighton’s full-backs and unleash Erling Haaland, who scored the match’s opener last time out on the south coast.