Manchester City play their last away game of the 2020-21 Premier League season against Brighton and Hove Albion at the Amex Stadium on Tuesday.
The newly crowned English champions were served a baptism of fire by Newcastle United on Friday in their first game since being confirmed title winners. They narrowly edged Newcastle in a pulsating, topsy-turvy 4-3 thriller.
Although the title is already in the bag, Pep Guardiola will demand more from his players defensively, having also lost to Chelsea at home before the last game.
Luckily for them, Brighton have been one of the least formidable sides in the top-flight this season. They have netted 37 times from 35 games so far, with only five teams scoring fewer goals.
Although the Seagulls have escaped relegation once again, head coach Graham Potter has challenged his side to finish strongly. The Sky Blues will aim not to take anything for granted.
Brighton vs Manchester City Head-To-Head
Manchester City have traditionally dominated this fixture with 16 wins from 25 clashes. Meanwhile, Brighton have beaten them only five times, with their last victory coming way back in 1989.
The Sky Blues have won all eight clashes against the Seagulls since their promotion in 2017 with a staggering combined score of 22-2. That included a 5-0 thrashing in the same fixture last season.
Brighton Form Guide (all competitions): D-L-W-L-D
Manchester City Form Guide (all competitions): W-W-W-L-W
Brighton vs Manchester City Team News
Brighton
The Seagulls will not have Tariq Lamptey (hamstring) and Solly March (knee) available for the clash. Meanwhile, Davy Propper and Joel Veltman are doubtful due to ankle and calf problems respectively.
But on the bright side, Potter has Lewis Dunk and Neal Maupay back from suspensions, and both should slot right back into the XI.
Injured: Tariq Lamptey and Solly March
Suspended: None
Doubtful: Davy Propper and Joel Veltman
Manchester City
Pep Guardiola isn't confident of having Kevin De Bruyne back yet and the Belgian will likely miss out again. Meanwhile, Sergio Aguero might also be sidelined, having missed the last clash due to an unspecified issue.
But with no other injury concerns, the head coach might rotate his squad once again. Riyad Mahrez, Aymeric Laporte and Phil Foden are likely to start after being rested against the Magpies.
Injured: Kevin De Bruyne
Suspended: None
Unavailable: Sergio Aguero
Brighton vs Manchester City Predicted XI
Brighton (4-3-3): Robert Sanchez; Joel Veltman, Adam Webster, Lewis Dunk, Michal Karbownik; Pascal Gross, Yves Bissouma, Alexis Mac Allister; Alireza Jahanbakhsh, Neil Maupay, Leandro Trossard.
Manchester City (4-3-3): Zack Steffen; Kyle Walker, Aymeric Laporte, Nathan Ake, Benjamin Mendy; Bernardo Silva, Rodri, Ilkay Gundogan; Ferran Torres, Gabriel Jesus, Raheem Sterling.
Brighton vs Manchester City Prediction
Brighton have been no match for Manchester City since gaining promotion four years ago and that trend is set to continue on Tuesday.
We expect the Sky Blues to streamroll to a ninth consecutive victory over the Seagulls.
Prediction: Brighton 1-3 Manchester City