Man City Starting XI v Brighton: Confirmed Team News and Predicted Lineup | OneFootball

Defensive puzzle shapes City thinking before Brighton visit

Manchester City arrive at Wednesday night with a familiar authority and an unfamiliar anxiety. The welcome for Brighton comes amid a defensive injury squeeze that has turned selection into an exercise in adaptation rather than preference. For Pep Guardiola, the challenge is to preserve City’s rhythms while the back line is held together by circumstance.

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Sunday’s draw with Chelsea deepened the problem. Josko Gvardiol sustained a fractured shinbone, while Ruben Dias tweaked his hamstring and now faces around six weeks out. John Stones has already been missing for over a month, and Guardiola offered little clarity on a return.

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“[He is not] ready for the next games,” Guardiola said of Stones. “Of course, he’s an important player for us for a long time and he was injured for a long time last season; this season looks the same.”

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Compounding matters, Rayan Ait Nouri remains away on AFCON duty. Rotation is a luxury City do not have this week.

Young solutions emerge at the back

Necessity pushes youth forward. Abdukodir Khusanov, 21, is set to start at centre back for only his seventh league appearance of the season.

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He is likely to be partnered by Nathan Ake, experience lending structure to a pairing that has barely shared the stage. Nico O’Reilly and Matheus Nunes are expected to reprise full back roles, functional rather than orthodox, a reminder of how Guardiola’s system bends to need.

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Khusanov has not started since mid December, while Ake has begun fewer than half of City’s league matches this campaign. Max Alleyne, recalled from Watford, should make the squad but a start appears unlikely. The message is clear, stability through familiarity elsewhere.

Midfield control asked to protect defence

If the back line looks improvised, the midfield is the ballast. Nico Gonzalez is fit again after missing Chelsea but is unlikely to displace Rodri, whose presence becomes even more essential. Bernardo Silva and Tijjani Reijnders should flank him, tasked with controlling territory and tempo to reduce exposure behind.

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This is where City seek insulation, compressing space and possession so the defence faces fewer direct tests. It is a pragmatic recalibration rather than a philosophical shift.

Attacking calls add intrigue

Up front, Guardiola has decisions. Jeremy Doku’s timely return offers thrust and unpredictability. Phil Foden has not scored since early December and could cede his place to the Belgian. Erling Haaland’s own dry spell continues, but with Omar Marmoush away at AFCON, the striker keeps his spot by default as much as design.

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Brighton’s ability to disrupt City’s patterns last season lends edge to these calls. This is not a night for experimentation, but for balance.

Predicted Man City lineup

Predicted Man City XI (4-3-2-1): Donnarumma; O’Reilly, Khusanov, Ake, Nunes; Silva, Rodri, Reijnders; Cherki, Doku; Haaland

Injured: Gvardiol, Dias, Stones, Savinho, Bobb, KovacicUnavailable: Ait Nouri, Marmoush (AFCON)

Time and date: 7.30pm GMT, Wednesday January 7, 2026Venue: Etihad StadiumHow to watch: Sky Sports