League Cup,
Round of 16
Manchester City
MCI
Brighton
BRI
-
Venue
- Etihad Stadium
Where to Watch Manchester City v Brighton: TV and online streams
Manchester City versus Brighton kicks off at 7:30pm GMT on Wednesday, October 28 at the Etihad Stadium.
The match is live on Sky Sports in the UK. You can also stream it on the Sky Go app.
Supporters overseas should check their local EFL Cup TV rights holders.
Preview for Manchester City v Brighton
Manchester City’s domestic dominance is over, and Enzo Maresca responded by sending five of his biggest names on holiday. The EFL Cup holders host Brighton at the Etihad on Wednesday night in the first of back-to-back meetings with the Seagulls, and Maresca will look to rest several of his star men.
City’s perfect Premier League record ended at Villa Park on Saturday. Aston Villa won 2-1, and Maresca was frustrated that his side failed to take their chances and were punished for it. It was City’s second defeat in four games in all competitions, following the 4-2 home loss to PSG in the Champions League.
Maresca has been open about his approach for this tie. “After Villa, we gave five players three days off. Erling [Haaland], Elliot [Anderson], Gigi [Donnarumma], Ruben [Dias] and Josko [Gvardiol]. Go away on holiday. Three days off, go, come back,” he said.
The quintet are now back but unlikely to face Brighton.
City are still expected to take this competition seriously. They beat Norwich 5-0 in the third round, and as holders, Maresca will want to pick up silverware at the first opportunity.
Mresca said of Brighton: “They are very brave in terms of aggression and when they have the ball, they attack with so many players and are creating many chances, scoring many goals. So yeah, we need to pay attention defensively and we need to do the right things offensively.”
Brighton have hit a sticky patch. After a brilliant start to the season, Fabian Hürzeler’s side have gone two games without a win, drawing 0-0 at Jablonec in the Conference League and then losing 2-0 at Liverpool on Sunday.
They have already shown their quality in this competition, though. Brighton came from 2-0 down to beat Manchester United 3-2 in the third round.
Brighton have also had the better of City in recent meetings. City have failed to win any of their last four matches against the Seagulls.
Team News for Manchester City v Brighton
Gerónimo Rulli will start in goal for City, making his second appearance for the club after his debut against Norwich. Maresca said: “He’s good. Before I arrive here I had a conversation with him, he knows exactly his role. Day-by-day he is helping a lot. When he played some minutes he was good and tomorrow he will play again.”
Vitor Reis and Abdukodir Khusanov formed an effective centre-back partnership against Norwich and could start together again. Rico Lewis is set to play at right-back, with Nico O’Reilly on the left.
Matheus Nunes has been given the all-clear to return, but Antoine Semenyo remains out with a knee injury.
Phil Foden has been in excellent form and is expected to start in attacking midfield, while young striker Ryan McAidoo could be handed a chance up front in Haaland’s absence.
For Brighton, Hürzeler is expected to make changes ahead of the Premier League meeting with City at the weekend. Kaoru Mitoma, Evan Ferguson, Stefanos Tzimas and Femi Azeez remain out, while Yankuba Minteh and Mats Wieffer are close to returning.
Expected line-ups for Manchester City v Brighton
Manchester City: Rulli; Lewis, Reis, Khusanov, O’Reilly; Kovačić, Bouaddi; Allan, Foden, Doku; McAidoo
Brighton: Steele; Costinha, Vuskovic, Dunk, Hadjam; Gross, Yalcouye; Gomez, Hinshelwood, Osman; Rutter
Recent Form & Stats for Manchester City v Brighton
- Manchester City have conceded nine times across their last four matches in all competitions
- City have won the EFL Cup nine times, just one fewer than Liverpool
- City are without a win in four meetings with Brighton (D2 L2)
- City have suffered EFL Cup elimination before round five in three of the last five seasons
- Brighton’s trip to the Etihad is the third of five successive away matches across a 16-day period
- The Seagulls have never beaten Man City away from home in 17 previous attempts (D3 L14)
Recent Results : Manchester City
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Premier League
Aston Villa
AST
L 2 – 1 2026-10-24
Manchester City
MCI
-
UEFA Champions League
Manchester City
MCI
W 5 – 1 2026-10-20
AEK Athens FC
AEK
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Premier League
Manchester City
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W 3 – 2 2026-10-17
Ipswich
IPS
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UEFA Champions League
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L 2 – 4 2026-10-14
Paris Saint Germain
PSG
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Premier League
Liverpool
LIV
W 0 – 3 2026-10-11
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MCI
Recent Results : Brighton
-
Premier League
Liverpool
LIV
L 2 – 0 2026-10-25
Brighton
BRI
-
UEFA Europa Conference League
FK Jablonec
JAB
D 0 – 0 2026-10-22
Brighton
BRI
-
Premier League
Brighton
BRI
W 5 – 0 2026-10-18
Crystal Palace
CRY
-
UEFA Europa Conference League
Brighton
BRI
W 4 – 0 2026-10-15
Kauno Žalgiris
SPY
-
Premier League
Sunderland
SUN
W 0 – 2 2026-10-10
Brighton
BRI
Prediction for Manchester City v Brighton
Beating Brighton is never straightforward but City’s squad depth undoubtedly gives them the edge in this one.
Match Prediction
Manchester City
Brighton
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