Rodri returns as City makes four changes for Brighton | OneFootball

Rodri will start his first Premier League in almost a year as City make four changes for our clash with Brighton at 14:00 (UK).

Matheus Nunes and Abdukodir Khusanov also come in for their first starts of the season while Bernardo Silva returns to take the armband.

From the team that started our last game against Tottenham, Rico Lewis, Ruben Dias and Nico all drop to the bench while Rayan Cherki is not in the squad.

The return of current Ballon d’Or holder Rodri will see him start his first game since the 2-2 draw with Arsenal in September 2024, although he began the FIFA Club World Cup victory over Juventus in the summer.

Teams

BRIGHTON XI: Verbruggen, Dunk, Van Hecke, Minteh, Hinshelwood, Baleba, Welbeck, Mitoma, Gomez, De Cuyper, Veltman.

Subs: Steele, Gruda, Rutter, Milner, Boscagli, Kadioglu, Ayari, O'Riley, Coppola

CITY XI: Trafford, Nunes, Khusanov, Stones, Ait-Nouri, Rodri, Bernardo (C), Bobb, Reijnders, Marmoush, Haaland.

Subs: Ederson, Dias, Ake, Doku, Nico, Gundogan, Akanji, O'Reilly, Lewis.

HOW WE MIGHT LINE UP

The changes that Pep Guardiola has made look like-for-like for opening games against Wolves and Spurs.

That would see Nunes come in at right-back and Khusanov in the centre of defence alongside John Stones.

Rodri will reprise his role in the centre of midfield with Bernardo likely to take Cherki's place with City keeping the same front-three.

Head to head

Brighton boss Fabian Hurzeler was only 15 when Guardiola took charge of his first match as a manager and there is no doubt he holds him high esteem.

“Pep is maybe the best in the world, so it’s always an honour to face him and, of course, a joy to beat his teams,” the German said in the build-up to the game.

Indeed he is unbeaten in his two first clashes with the City boss, with a win at the Amex Stadium last season and a draw at the Etihad.

In Guardiola’s entire managerial league career, the only managers he’s faced three times without beating is Roberto Di Matteo and former Barca team-mate Ronald Koeman.

And the Dutchman is the only one to do so in the Premier League, with two draws and a defeat during his time at Everton.

100 not out

Erling Haaland has broken so many records during his City career, it’s perhaps a surprise that today will be when he reaches his 100th Premier League appearance.

Before getting to the century mark he already has two title winner’s medals, two Golden Boots and is already in the top 50 of all time goalscorers.

With 87 goals and counting, he has already scored more goals than any other player in his first 100 games, even scoring more than West Brom managed in their first 100 games as a team.

The Norwegian averages a goal a game against Brighton with five in five, but despite eight Premier League hat-tricks so far, it was exactly 12 months since his last – in our 3-1 win at West Ham.

Stats, facts and milestones

● Between 2017/18 and 2023/24, Brighton only avoided defeat in two of 14 Premier League games against City. But last season, they won 2-1 at home and drew 2-2 at the Etihad.

● City have won 19 out of 30 league matches against Brighton (63.3%) – among the 46 teams they’ve faced 25+ times, the only side they have a higher win ratio against is Swansea City (23 wins in 34 games, 67.6%).

● Only three teams have produced a higher xG in their opening two Premier League games this season than Brighton (3.91), although the Seagulls have just one goal so far, the biggest negative differential of any side (-2.91).

● Since our defeat at Arsenal in February, City have conceded just one goal in seven away Premier League matches, keeping five clean sheets in a row. Only four sides have kept six in a row, most recently Arsenal in 2023/24 between February and April. City have never had six consecutive away league clean sheets in their history.

● Brighton are winless in their opening two Premier League games this season and in only one of the last 15 league seasons have they failed to win their opening three games, doing so in in their first Premier League campaign in 2017/18.

● Brighton rank second for successful passes in their own half of the pitch in the Premier League this season (503) but are 15th for completed passes in the opposition half (282).

● Phil Foden has scored six goals in six away Premier League appearances against Brighton, with only Mohamed Salah scoring as often at the Amex as a visiting player (also six). Overall, his eight goals against the Seagulls are his most against an opponent in the competition.

● Mats Wieffer has made 12 tackles in the Premier League this season for Brighton, the most of any player so far this campaign. Wieffer averages 5.3 tackles per 90 minutes for the Seagulls, comfortably the most of any player to play 500+ minutes in the competition for them.