Manchester City take on Brighton & Hove Albion in one of the most intriguing ties of the entire Carabao Cup fourth round on Wednesday.

Taken in isolation, a clash between the Premier League leaders and the division’s top scorers is always going to be appointment viewing; however, the cup tie gives an intriguing added dimension, thanks to the fixture list. The two sides are up against each other, again at the Etihad, as soon as Saturday.

Brighton will stay in Manchester for the week, “recovering, adjusting, adapting” to use the mantra set forth by manager Fabian Hürzeler. Enzo Maresca has promised a similarly flexible approach for City, who could spice things up even more with some unpredictable rotation.

Man City vs. Brighton Score Prediction

City’s Bubble Burst Again by Brighton

Both City and Brighton bounded into last weekend’s round of Premier League fixtures on a high. Maresca had won all seven top-flight matches, setting a new record in the process, while the Seagulls were soaring after four league wins by an aggregate score of 15–0. Both would have their bubbles burst despite not playing all that badly.

Maresca was left to curse two individual errors in Saturday’s defeat to Aston Villa. Hürzeler’s only criticism was for Liverpool’s pragmatic approach, pointing toward his side’s far superior statistics from an even encounter not reflected in the 2–0 scoreline.

These are two well-coached teams who are likely to produce a very entertaining encounter. Yet, the game could boil down to a matter of priorities. Brighton’s German coach has described the cup tie as “do-or-die” while Maresca shrugged it off as an option for some rotation. If both manager’s live up to their preview, the visitors could deliver another City loss.

• Head-to-head record: Since the start of the 2024–25 season, Manchester City have faced 22 different top-flight clubs and beaten 21 of them. The only exception? Brighton.
• Shootout: These are the two highest scoring clubs in the Premier League this season and neither boasts a particularly secure rearguard. City’s parsimonious streak could be exacerbated by Maresca’s meddling team selection. The league leaders already concede the highest quality chances in the division, and Brighton have shown no appetite to give up those types of opportunities.

Prediction: Man City 2–3 Brighton

Man City Predicted Lineup vs. Brighton

Maresca’s team selection may very well have been made over the weekend. The Italian tactician gave five of his key first-team starters three days off so that they would “come back full energy and we go again.” How many of Erling Haaland, Rúben Dias, Joško Gvardiol, Gianluigi Donnarumma and Marc Guéhi start in midweek remains unclear.

Donnarumma is definitely on the bench, with cup goalkeeper Gerónimo Rulli confirmed of a starting berth. Maresca defended Guéhi, who has been beset by a poor run of form since the charges against Manchester City were announced curiously enough, but may give his center back some respite.

Matheus Nunes is one of the few injury doubts alongside Antoine Semenyo, who will be sidelined for at least another seven weeks.

Man City predicted lineup vs. Brighton (4-2-3-1): Rulli; Lewis, Khusanov, Dias, Aït-Nouri; Bouaddi, Anderson; Ndiaye, O’Reilly, Doku; Foden.

Brighton Predicted Lineup vs. Man City

It’s a mixed bag on the injury front for Brighton. Hürzeler has been mightily boosted by the return of Mats Wieffer and, for the first time this season, Yankuba Minteh, who are both set to travel with the squad. Whether either makes the starting XI is less clear.

Those returnees are balanced by doubts over Chema Andrés and Ferdi Kadıoğlu. The pair both suffered “very painful” during Sunday’s loss to Liverpool but remain in contention to feature against City.

Pascal Struijk and Kaoru Mitoma aren’t available.

Brighton predicted lineup vs. Man City (4-2-3-1): Verbruggen; Costinha, Vušković, Dunk, Boscagli; Groß, Hinshelwood; Gómez, Ayari, De Cuyper; Kostoulas.

What Time Does Man City vs. Brighton Kick Off?

• Location: Manchester, England
• Stadium: Etihad Stadium
• Date: Wednesday, Oct. 28
• Kickoff Time: 7:30 p.m. GMT / 3:30 p.m. ET / 12:30 p.m. PT
• Referee: Andrew Madley

How to Watch Man City vs. Brighton on TV, Live Stream