Premier League 2025/26: Manchester City vs Brighton Preview, Prediction & Lineups
Second-placed Manchester City hosts 10th-placed Brighton at the Etihad, desperate to snap a two-match drawing streak and cut the six-point gap behind leaders Arsenal in this high-stakes midweek clash.

Kick Off Time?
Competition (Round): Premier League (Round 21)
Kick-off (GMT): 19:30, Wednesday, January 7, 2026
Stadium, Location: Etihad Stadium, Manchester, England
Match Facts
City enters the match following consecutive draws against Sunderland and Chelsea, leaving them trailing Arsenal by six points.
Pep Guardiola faces a defensive headache after Josko Gvardiol (broken leg) and Ruben Dias (thigh) both suffered injuries during the previous match against Chelsea.
Erling Haaland remains the league's top scorer with 19 goals, accounting for nearly half of City's total league output this season.
Brighton has proved a tricky opponent recently, remaining unbeaten in their last three games against City, including a 2-1 victory in their most recent meeting in August.
Possible lineup
Manchester City: Donnarumma; Lewis, Khusanov, Ake, O'Reilly; Rodri; Cherki, Foden, Reijnders, Doku; Haaland
Brighton: Verbruggen; Veltman, Dunk, Van Hecke, Kadioglu; Gomez, Ayari; Gruda, Rutter, Mitoma; Kostoulas
Prediction of AI
Win Probability: AI models favor Manchester City (67.1%), with a draw at 17.9% and a Brighton victory at 15.0%.
Likely Scoreline: The most probable simulated outcome is a 2-1 or 2-0 victory for Manchester City.
Betting Insight: Analysts highlight a high probability for "Both Teams to Score" (59.2%), noting Brighton's attacking style and City's recent defensive vulnerabilities.
How to Watch Manchester City vs Brighton in the UK and US?
In the UK: The match is televised live on Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Premier League, with streaming available via the Sky Go app or NOW.
In the US: The game is available exclusively via live stream on Peacock Premium.
TV Channel and Live Stream: You can also follow Xscore808 live updates for other countries