Manchester City take on the visitors Brighton in the round 29 match of English Premier League. The match will be played on Saturday, March 15th at Etihad Stadium (Manchester).
Manchester City were already the wealthiest club in England before Guardiola arrived, regularly winning domestic trophies. However, Pep took their dominance to another level, culminating in a historic first-ever Champions League title in 2023. That triumph, along with another Premier League victory last season, led to an underestimation of their squad depth issues. In January, the club responded by frantically spending over £200 million in the transfer market. Yet, even with additions like Marmoush and others, City suffered defeats in both legs of their Champions League knockout tie against Real Madrid. Now, their only realistic shot at silverware is the FA Cup, while in the Premier League, they are battling not only to finish as high as possible but also to avoid the nightmare scenario of missing out on European competition altogether. The latest league setback was a 1-0 loss to Nottingham Forest, where they failed to score and conceded in the second half, marking their third defeat in four games.
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Brighton must deliver significant results. The "Seagulls" made their Europa League debut under Roberto De Zerbi in 2023 and even topped their group. However, as time went on, the Italian coach seemed to lose motivation for continuing his work in England, and the team's performances declined sharply. They were eliminated in the first knockout round of the Europa League and dropped to 11th place in the Premier League. The club, determined not to revert to being a mid-table side, made substantial summer investments in new signings. To lead their long-term project, they appointed Fabian Hürzeler, fresh off winning Bundesliga 2 with St. Pauli. The young German coach had no prior experience outside his home country, but he made a strong start in England. That said, Brighton endured a major slump from late November to early January, failing to win for eight consecutive matches. However, they regained momentum, climbing the table while also knocking Chelsea and Newcastle out of the FA Cup. Their latest league outing saw them claim a hard-fought 2-1 victory over a solid Fulham side, extending their unbeaten run to five matches.
In the last six encounters, Brighton managed just one victory against the reigning champions. However, Hürzeler defeated Guardiola at the first attempt earlier this season. City is still viewed as the clear favorite, but perhaps they are being overrated again. Back Brighton with a "+1 goal" handicap.
Prediction for the match: Brighton to win with +1.0 handicap.
