Manchester City vs Brighton & Hove Albion at the Etihad on Wednesday will feature two in-form teams vying for a place in the quarter-finals.

The EFL Cup returns this week with the fourth-round ties, as teams compete for a spot in the quarter-finals. The latest stage begins on Tuesday, but an action-packed Wednesday will kick off with Manchester City vs Brighton & Hove Albion at the Etihad.

Manchester City secured a spot in the EFL Cup fourth round by cruising to a 5-0 win over Norwich City. However, the Citizens come into the game on the back of a 2-1 defeat to Aston Villa, with Unai Emery’s team thoroughly outplaying the Citizens and handing them their first defeat in the Premier League this season. So, Enzo Maresca and his charges will be raring to return to winning ways.

The mood in the visiting camp is similar, as Brighton’s exceptional run came to a grinding halt with a 2-0 defeat to Liverpool this past weekend. The Seagulls’ EFL Cup third-round tie was more of a rollercoaster affair than a straightforward win, as they came from two goals down to beat Manchester United 3-2 and secure a spot in the fourth round.

The most recent match featuring Manchester City and Brighton at the Etihad ended in a 1-1 draw, with Kaoru Mitoma scoring the equaliser after Erling Haaland put the Citizens ahead. The Hard Tackle looks closer at the encounter ahead of the latest meeting between the two sides.

Team News & Tactics

Manchester City

Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Rulli; Lewis, Khusanov, Reis, Ait-Nouri; Bouaddi, Kovacic; Allan, Foden, Doku; Haaland

Brighton & Hove Albion

Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Steele; Costinha, Vuskovic, Dunk, Hadjam; O’Riley, Yalcouye; Gomez, Hinshelwood, Osman; Rutter

Key Stats

• Brighton & Hove Albion are unbeaten in their last four games vs Manchester City, winning two games and drawing two.
• Brighton’s 2-0 defeat to Liverpool ended a five-game run with a clean sheet and an unbeaten streak that spanned eight games.
• Manchester City’s 2-1 defeat to Aston Villa this past weekend was the first Premier League defeat for Enzo Maresca as their head coach.
• No Premier League team has kept more clean sheets in the 2026/27 season than Brighton & Hove Albion.
• Phil Foden is the top scorer in this fixture, with eight goals for Manchester City vs Brighton, followed by Erling Haaland on seven

Player to Watch

Phil Foden

While Ayyoub Bouaddi, Pascal Gross, and Diego Gomez were viable candidates for this section, we have picked Phil Foden as the Player to Watch for Wednesday’s EFL Cup fourth-round clash between Manchester City and Brighton & Hove Albion at the Etihad.

The English international appears to be reinvigorated, and his hat-trick against AEK Athens last week was a reminder of his ability. With Foden a habitual scorer against Brighton with eight goals thus far, he will be the go-to player in the final third for Enzo Maresca.

Prediction

Manchester City 2-3 Brighton & Hove Albion

Brighton & Hove Albion have had the measure of Manchester City in recent meetings, and Wednesday’s match may be no different. The Seagulls have also produced two giant-killing performances this season, proving that the stature of their opposition does not deter them.

With both teams showing a soft underbelly, both goalkeepers will be busy in the midweek clash, and there may not be much to separate them. However, the form of Pascal Gross and Charalampos Kostoulas (off the bench) should tip the scales in the away side’s favour, and The Hard Tackle predicts a 3-2 win for Fabian Hurzeler and his charges.