[Albion] Manchester City vs Brighton & Hove Albion *** Official Match Thread ***

[Dick Head]

Man City v Brighton

PREMIER LEAGUE

Venue: The Etihad Stadium
Date: Wednesday 9th April 2018
Kick-off: 20:00 BST
Referee: Paul Tierney
Assistants: Simon Beck, Andrew Garratt
Fourth official: Robert Madley


​

TEAM NEWS

Yaya Toure is expected to make his final appearance for Manchester City on Wednesday as his trophy-laden eight-year spell at the club nears an end.

Vincent Kompany remains a fitness doubt but full-back Benjamin Mendy might make his first start since September.

Brighton & Hove Albion could be unchanged from the team that beat Manchester United on Friday.

Manager Chris Hughton has no fresh injury concerns, with midfielder Steve Sidwell the only absentee.

WHAT THE MANAGERS SAY

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola on Yaya Toure: "Without doubt he was, and is, one of the most important players in the whole history of this club. We will try and play for him and win for him.

"Yaya is part of the club, not just because of the trophies he has won but because he transmitted to everyone the club can be bigger and greater.

"I wish him well. His desire is to stay playing and he can do a job in the Premier League for another club next season. He will decide what is best for him."

Brighton manager Chris Hughton: "Huddersfield showed what you have to do to have any chance of getting anything [away to Manchester City].

"We've managed to get some good results against the top six at home and make games as close as possible - at Tottenham away and Chelsea away, for long periods we were very much in the game.

"This is our challenge and I want to be as good as we can in these [two remaining] games."

MATCH FACTS

Head-to-head

• 
  [*=left]Manchester City host Brighton & Hove Albion in a league fixture for the first time since a 2-1 win in the second tier in September 1988.
  [*=left]The Seagulls have never won a league match away to City, drawing twice and losing the other five games.
  [*=left]Brighton's two top-flight victories in this fixture both came at home: 4-1 in December 1979, and again in October 1981 (D2, L5).

Man City

• 
  [*=left]The champions only require two points from their final two matches to set a Premier League record tally for a single season, eclipsing the 95 earned by Chelsea in 2004-05.
  [*=left]City need two wins to become the first team to reach 100 points in an English top-flight campaign. The record - based on three points for a win - is held by Liverpool, who claimed the equivalent of 98 points across 42 games in 1978-79.
  [*=left]One more victory would equal the top-flight record of 31 in a season, set by Tottenham in 1960-61.
  [*=left]Pep Guardiola's side are two goals shy of breaking Chelsea's Premier League record of 103 in a single season.
  [*=left]Manchester City's club record for most goals scored in a top-flight season is 107, which they achieved in 1936-37.
  [*=left]Raheem Sterling has scored 49 goals in 191 Premier League appearances. He could become the 11th player to reach 50 goals before his 24th birthday.

Brighton

• 
  [*=left]Brighton's 1-0 home win over Manchester United at the weekend ended a six-match run without a victory.
  [*=left]They are striving to record three consecutive clean sheets in the top flight for the first time since January 1982.
  [*=left]However, the Seagulls have gone 11 Premier League away matches without a win since beating Swansea on 4 November (D4, L7).
  [*=left]Brighton have lost all four of their away games against the top-six clubs without scoring a goal.
  [*=left]They are the division's lowest scorers away from home, with just nine goals.
  [*=left]Chris Hughton's only win as a manager against Manchester City in seven attempts came when his then-Norwich side were 3-2 victors at the Etihad Stadium on the final day of the 2012-13 season.

 

[el punal]

I will be travelling to Manchester this afternoon. Part of my luggage consists of numerous pairs of flip flops and buckets and spades. I will personally hand these out to each and every Manchester City player prior to kick off as a token of congratulation for winning the title, and, as an incentive to think long and hard about sun kissed beaches and sipping cocktails by the pool.

 

[Wrong-Direction]

Come on boys! Feeling a 1-2 win tonight!

Sent from my SM-A310F using Tapatalk

 

[Papa Lazarou]

I love the fact that Pep didn't mention the actual game.

 

[Simster]

Do we have any sort of chance here? We were excellent against them on the opening day of the season but still got what we deserved in that one.

With Huddersfield having the temerity to pinch a point on Saturday (and what a huge point that now looks) I just feel City will take us to the cleaners.

I hope Sir Chris can instill more confidence in the lads than I'd manage, as we can still finish as high as 9th. Even one win from two might have us in the top half.

 

[shaolinpunk]

Let's hope we haven't switched off after achieving our primary aim, as was the case at the back end of last season.

 

[Frankie]

I don't think it's in our teams dynamic to take a day off and CH would probably go ballistic if we take our foot off the pedal for a instant , whatever the result i expect nothing less than a hard fought game from us ,and Citeh will know that they have been in a game (again) , the not won away since the 4th of november stat is rather worrying but a stat that is hopefully about to change .

 

[Dick Head]

I don't think it's in our teams dynamic to take a day off and CH would probably go ballistic if we take our foot off the pedal for a instant , whatever the result i expect nothing less than a hard fought game from us ,and Citeh will know that they have been in a game (again) , the not won away since the 4th of november stat is rather worrying but a stat that is hopefully about to change .

Yes, but he's always flying off the handle at the slightest little thing.

 

[el punal]

Yes, but he's always flying off the handle at the slightest little thing.

I have heard that only plastic cups are allowed in the dressing room, so when Lord Hughton goes off on one and decides to chuck something in rage nothing, player or furniture, gets damaged.

 

[Frankie]

Yes, but he's always flying off the handle at the slightest little thing.

that's true , you can just tell by that expression he's about to well do something really really unimaginable to a innocent water bottle .

 

[Official Old Man]

Two more very early mornings or very late nights to go. Thank god this is nearly over, I need a holiday!
Looking forward to watching the oppo tonight and Sunday without worries of relegation. Just don't lay it on too good please.

 

[Mellotron]

I will be travelling to Manchester this afternoon. Part of my luggage consists of numerous pairs of flip flops and buckets and spades. I will personally hand these out to each and every Manchester City player prior to kick off as a token of congratulation for winning the title, and, as an incentive to think long and hard about sun kissed beaches and sipping cocktails by the pool.

Not sure how great the beaches in Russia are...? Our players meanwhile will be on the beach enjoying the sun!

 

[Beach Hut]

So excited

 

[Tricky Dicky]

Keep forgetting we have a game on, I think my season finished at about 10 on Fri evening. Ho-hum, I think we'll get tonked, but never mind.

 

[Bob'n'weave]

Would like to think that a bit of what we had on Friday might help. Don't let them play, hassle the **** out of them, keep it tight at the back and let the dogs lose on the wings. Lets have it!

1-2

 

[perseus]

Feels a short season for us with only 36 games. Our players must be fresh. I don't know about them. Some (rested) will have played over 50 games and could be knackered and thinking about the World Cup? Odds says they will freshen up the squad with Foden etc?

I hope they play three at the back, with Walker drawn forward and then a long ball in to the gap, for an Izzy special. Pep will probably play Danilo who did well at the Amex. Yaya Toure farewell celebrations.

 

[perseus]

Feels a short season for us with only 36 games. Our players must be fresh. I don't know about them. Some (rested) will have played over 50 games and could be knackered and thinking about the World Cup? Odds says they will freshen up the squad with Foden etc?

I hope they play three at the back, with Walker drawn forward and then a long ball in to the gap, for an Izzy special. Pep will probably play Danilo who did well at the Amex. Yaya Toure farewell celebrations.

Aim for at least 20% possession of the ball. No running around chasing shadows. Show them how to park the bus.

 

[Taybha]

25-1 to win ! 14s to draw

 

[GT49er]

]I don't think it's in our teams dynamic to take a day off and CH would probably go ballistic if we take our foot off the pedal for a instant[/B], whatever the result i expect nothing less than a hard fought game from us ,and Citeh will know that they have been in a game (again) , the not won away since the 4th of november stat is rather worrying but a stat that is hopefully about to change .

You missed the end of last season, then?

 

[OzMike]

Will check the score first thing in the morning, not expecting anything else as we have already got the result.