Manchester City continue hunt for Champions League qualification against Brighton

• Cityzens aiming to bounce back from disappointment at Nottingham Forest
• Pep Guardiola missing three key defenders for Saturday’s clash

Manchester City host Brighton & Hove Albion on Saturday afternoon in their final outing before the March international break.

The misfiring Cityzens are hunting Champions League qualification. But drop out of the Premier League top four last weekend following their discouraging defeat to Nottingham Forest. While they have some favourable fixtures between now and the campaign’s conclusion, they can ill-afford any further blunders.

Pep Guardiola’s side are renowned for their relentless attacking ingenuity but even their star-studded forward line has struggled in recent matches. They have scored just once in their last three Premier League matches and risk being leapfrogged by Brighton in the table if they fail to find the net this weekend.

Here is how City could line up this weekend.

Man City predicted lineup vs Brighton (4-1-4-1)

GK: Ederson – Having made an เล่นบาคาร่า UFABET เว็บตรง ค่าคอมสูง exceptional save to deny Callum Hudson-Odoi the opener last weekend, the Brazilian proceeded to be beaten by far too easily at his near post by the winger’s winning strike.

RB: Rico Lewis – Matheus Nunes has been a popular option at right-back this season but Guardiola could restore orthodox defender Lewis to the starting lineup to battle the dynamic Kaoru Mitoma.

CB: Abdukodir Khusanov – After a bruising start to life with City, Khusanov is finding his feet in English football. Performed admirably against Forest last weekend and needs to maintain that level considering Nathan Ake, John Stones and Manuel Akanji are all sidelined.

CB: Ruben Dias

Even the usually reliable Dias has below his best this term. Unable to prevent City’s defence from being sliced open on a regular basis. Joao Pedro will keep him busy at the Etihad.

LB: Josko Gvardiol – It’s been a largely underwhelming and error-strewn campaign for Gvardiol. Who has given little rest at left-back. The speedy Yankuba Minteh will test his credentials on Saturday.

DM: Nico Gonzalez

Gonzalez’s impersonation of Rodri needs some work, with the winter signing still lacking the physicality and intuition of City’s leading defensive midfielder.

RM: Savinho – The 20-year-old is always a livewire but needs to hone his final product. Similarly to teammate Jeremy Doku on the opposite flank, he often flatters to deceive in key moments.