Brighton & Hove Albion vs. Manchester City Prediction, 7/11/20

Currently riding a three-game losing skid on the road in the league, 2nd-placed Manchester City will try to end the spell while visiting 15th-placed Brighton & Hove Albion, who are still battling for survival in the EPL. Kick-off - at 15:00 PM ET on Saturday, July 11.

Brighton Lose To Liverpool

Brighton & Hove Albion failed to make it two victories in two games after following up last Saturday’s 1-0 triumph at Norwich City with a 3-1 defeat at the hands of newly-crowned champions Liverpool at Amex Stadium on Wednesday. The Seagulls were outshot 20-12 and went two goals down after the first eight minutes of the game before Leandro Trossard cut the visitors’ lead in half just before the interval, only for the Reds to add their third with 15 minutes remaining. Brighton still have the lowest number of wins in the calendar year of 2020 out of all Premier League teams (W2 D7 L5) and sit 15th in the EPL standings (W8 D12 L14), eight points above the bottom three.

French striker Neal Maupay leads the Seagulls with nine league goals, but has scored just once in his last seven games. Goalie Mat Ryan, meanwhile, resides 5th in England’s top division with 108 saves. He has collected eight clean sheets in 34 outings during the current campaign and allows a goal every 65 minutes on average. Brighton have netted the 13th highest number of EPL markers this year (36) while delivering the 8th highest quantity of shots per game (12.4). The team is 7th in ball possession (52.6%) and 8th in passing accuracy (81.3%).

City Thrash Newcastle

Manchester City set a new record for most consecutive league home wins against a single opponent (11) after beating Newcastle United with a count of 5-0 at Etihad Stadium on Wednesday. Snipes from Gabriel Jesus, Riyad Mahrez, David Silva and Raheem Sterling, as well as an own-goal by the Magpies, all contributed to the Citizen’s fifth consecutive domestic victory in the league, with the team outscoring its opponents 19-0 during the stretch. City also set a new record for passing accuracy in the league since such statistics became available in 2003-04, completing 787 of their 840 passes versus Newcastle (93.7%). The team is 2nd in the EPL (W22 D3 L9), sitting nine points ahead of 3rd-placed Chelsea.

Five players are on double digits for Premier League goals for the Citizens this year, with injured Sergio Aguero (16 snipes), Sterling (14), Kevin De Bruyne (11), Jesus (11), and Mahrez (10) all on the list. Goalie Ederson, meanwhile, sits 17th in the league with 62 saves. He has posted 13 clean sheets in 31 outings this season and gives up a goal every 100 minutes of play. Manchester City is top of the league in most goals buried during the ongoing campaign (86), most shots taken per game (19.3), ball possession (61.9%) and passing accuracy (89.2%).

Prediction

Manchester City have lost their last three away contests in the Premier League, dropping decisions at Manchester United (2-0), Chelsea (2-1), and Southampton (1-0). The team does, however, stand an excellent chance of bouncing back on its travels while visiting Brighton & Hove Albion, who have already lost their last two domestic matches, both by at least two goals. All five previous Premier League meetings between the two sides have also gone the Citizens’ way, with the Mancunians winning by a margin of at least two goals on each occasion.

Best bet:

Manchester City (Handicap -1.5) (-135)