The champions of England Manchester City begin to close out their season with a tricky away trip to one of the league’s most impressive sides this season, Brighton & Hove Albion F.C. This match was postponed to this date (Wednesday, May 24) due to both sides competing in the FA cup semi-finals but it is one that City fans will not complain about.
Considering this looked like a potential upset to City’s title charge, the Citizens can count themselves lucky to not have to go away to Brighton without the title in hand. Based on Pep Guardiola’s previous starting 11, we are yet again likely to see a heavily rotated side with two huge finals looming ahead.
Manchester City’s predicted lineup vs. Brighton
Formation (3-2-4-1)
GK: Stefan Ortega
Ederson could easily start tonight’s game but after the great performance from Ortega against Chelsea, it would be a shame for him not to get another start. Despite his limited playing time, Ortega has shown to be exactly what City need in a backup role and could push for more minutes next season.
CB: John Stones
After not starting for the first time in a long time, Stones got some much-needed rest against Chelsea, coming on in the 57th minute. He could rest again but it’s likely he doesn’t play against Brentford over the weekend to save him for the two finals coming up.
CB: Ruben Dias
Another player who received some much-needed rest, Dias is likely to be in the heart of defence in order to rest him against Brentford, much like Stones. The 26-year-old has had another magnificent season in a City shirt and should be considered amongst the best defenders in the world.
CB: Aymeric Laporte
It is very likely that this is one of the last times we see Laporte in a City jersey. There’s been rumors and speculation surrounding his exit all season and he seems to have fallen down the pecking order. His second consecutive start will show why he should still be considered one of the best left-footed center-backs in the league.
CDM: Kalvin Phillips
After starting his first game in a City shirt last weekend against Chelsea, expect to see Phillips in the lineup once again. He’s had a tough time in his first season in Manchester but looked calm, cool, and collected against Chelsea. He gets another start and continues to give Rodri some much-needed rest.
CDM: Rico Lewis
A teenager who came into the squad at the beginning of the season playing right back, Lewis looks the most comfortable in the ‘John Stones’ role of CDM/RB within the squad. Another solid performance against Chelsea showed his quality and he will show it again against Brighton.
CM: Kevin De Bruyne
After sitting out against Chelsea, De Bruyne will be looking to add to his impressive assist tally this season. He’s on 16 at the moment and could still break the record of 20 if he has two monster games, which could come against a Brighton and Brentford team who are not scared to play against the ‘big teams.’
CM: Ilkay Gündogan
The captain watched from the sidelines last weekend before lifting his 5th Premier League title. A start here keeps him in shape as he is likely to sit out against Brentford to ensure his at his full powers when they meet Manchester United in the FA Cup final.
RM: Riyad Mahrez
Mahrez has not featured as much since the formation switch but still looks as dangerous as ever. The Algerian winger will likely cause chaos against a Brighton side that likes to play out from the back and push their full-backs up.
LM: Phil Foden
Foden, who’s having his most productive season yet, keeps showing the world why he should be a nailed-on starter for any club. Injuries hampered what looked like a supernova season for Foden but he’s back to his best, as he showed against Chelsea.
ST: Julian Alvarez
Is Guardiola really going to bench Erling Haaland two games in a row? When you have Alvarez behind him, it’s not the worst decision to make. He scored once again against Chelsea to continue to give Guardiola a headache when it comes to picking his side. If there was a guarantee for someone to score, I’d put my money on Alvarez to do so again.