Manchester City v Brighton: EFL Cup preview, predicted line-ups and team news
Manchester City host Brighton in the EFL Cup round of 16 at the Etihad on Wednesday night, with both sides unbeaten in the competition this season.
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Manchester City v Brighton: round of 16 preview
Manchester City and Brighton meet at the Etihad on Wednesday night with a place in the EFL Cup quarter-finals at stake. The winner goes through. There is no second leg.
City are the clear favourites. bet365 price them at 8/13 to win in 90 minutes, with the draw at 16/5 and Brighton at 7/2.
Brighton will not be in awe of the occasion. They have taken four points from City in their last two league meetings at the Etihad and the Amex, winning 2-1 on the south coast on 31 August 2025 and drawing 1-1 in Manchester on 7 January 2026.
Manchester City
BrightonHow both sides reached the last 16
City's only recorded EFL Cup game this season was a 5-0 home win over Norwich on 17 September. They had 63% of the ball and kept a clean sheet. That is the only cup data supplied for them.
Brighton won 3-2 at Manchester United on 16 September. They scored once in the 46-60 minute window and twice between 61 and 75, but conceded both of their goals in the first 15 minutes. Against City's attack, that kind of slow start would be costly.
Rotation and selection
Cup ties usually bring changes, and City have the depth to make several without losing much. Enzo Maresca can pick from Haaland, Foden, Cherki, Doku and Semenyo, among others, so any rotation still leaves a strong side.
Brighton lined up in a 3-4-2-1 away at Manchester United and are likely to stay with that shape. Expect the visitors to change a few players too, as a cup tie at the Etihad rarely justifies a full-strength selection.
Predicted line-ups for Manchester City v Brighton
Manchester City: Rulli; Matheus Nunes, Dias, Guéhi, Aït-Nouri; Kovačić, Bouaddi; Doku, Foden, Cherki; Haaland
Brighton: Verbruggen; Dunk, Vušković, Boscagli; Minteh, Groß, Wieffer, De Cuyper; Mitoma, Hinshelwood; David
Rotation is the main risk to both XIs. City's changes are most likely in goal and midfield.
Where to watch Manchester City v Brighton: TV and online streams
The tie kicks off at 19:30 GMT on Wednesday 28 October 2026. UK clocks went back on Sunday, so that is the same time as 19:30 UK time.
The EFL Cup is shown on Sky Sports where selected, with a stream on Sky Sports+. We have not confirmed the exact channel for this fixture. This page will be updated if that changes.
If the tie is level after 90 minutes, it goes to extra time. A penalty shootout follows if it is still level.
Stats for Manchester City v Brighton
- City won their only EFL Cup game this season 5-0 at home, with 6 shots on target and a clean sheet.
- Brighton won 3-2 away at Manchester United in the competition, and conceded both goals inside the first 15 minutes.
- The last 10 meetings produced 8 games with over 2.5 goals and 8 with both teams scoring, an average of 3.3 goals per game.
- Of those 10 meetings, City won 5, Brighton won 2 and 3 were drawn. The last was a 1-1 draw at the Etihad on 7 January 2026.