Ake, Khusanov And Doku To Start | 4-3-3 Manchester City Predicted Lineup Vs Brighton | OneFootball

Manchester City will entertain Brighton and Hove Albion at the Etihad Stadium on Wednesday night as they look to secure a good result at home in the Premier League. The Mancunian giants were held to a frustrating 1-1 draw by Chelsea recently, so they would be keen on getting back to winning ways in the league this week.

Pep Guardiola will set his side up in a 4-3-3 formation once again and is expected to make some changes to his first team for this clash. Nathan Ake, Abdukodir Khusanov and Jeremy Doku could all play from the start of this game.

4-3-3 Manchester City Predicted Lineup To Face Brighton

Defence

Gianluigi Donnarumma will function in goal for the Mancunian giants after conceding one goal in his last appearance. Abdukodir Khusanov will play alongside Nathan Ake at the centre of the Man City backline as they hope to keep the opposition at bay during the 90 minutes.

Matheus Nunes will try to prove his worth as the right-back, while Nico O’Reilly looks to put in a good showing on the other flank as the left-back. Guardiola will ask both of them to get forward and join in on the attack at every chance they can get.

Rico Lewis will offer cover for the defensive positions on the bench.

MANCHESTER, ENGLAND – JANUARY 04: Erling Haaland of Manchester City during the Premier League match between Manchester City and Chelsea at Etihad Stadium on January 04, 2026 in Manchester, England. (Photo by Shaun Botterill/Getty Images)

Midfield

Phil Foden, Rodri and Bernardo Silva will make up Man City’s midfield as they focus on winning the 50-50 battles at the centre of the park and engineering some clear-cut chances in the final third.

Nico Gonzalez is a slight concern ahead of this game and could be fit to start on the bench. Divine Mukasa and Tijjani Reijnders are also expected to be named on Guardiola’s bench and might come on to influence the game in the second 45 minutes if required.

Attack

Jeremy Doku will hope to put his pace to good use on the left flank, while Rayan Cherki looks to weave his magic from the right wing.

Erling Haaland will spearhead Man City’s attack down the middle. He failed to find the back of the net versus Chelsea recently, so this game would be a good chance for him to return to his goal-scoring ways in the Premier League.

Reigan Heskey will make up the numbers on the bench.