At 03:00 a.m. Beijing time on April 26, the 29th round of the English Premier League will stage an eye-catching make-up match, and the defending champion Manchester City will challenge the strong Brighton team. For Manchester City, this is another crucial battle on the road to the title this season.
In the first 32 rounds of the Premier League, Manchester City won 22, drew 7 and lost 3, accumulating 73 points, temporarily behind the top Arsenal by 1 point with 1 round less. The overall strength of the opponent Brighton team cannot be underestimated, in the first 32 rounds, they won 11, drew 11 and lost 10, accumulating 44 points, temporarily ranking 10th in the Premier League standings. In this round against Brighton, Manchester City must take all three points, otherwise, not only will they not be able to catch up with the Gunners Arsenal, but they may also be overtaken by Liverpool, who is chasing behind.
Therefore, considering that the situation of the Premier League title race is very serious, coach Pep Guardiola will definitely go all out and unreservedly present the strongest main team in his mind. The stats show that Manchester City have only lost one of the last 10 meetings between the two teams. Therefore, as long as you play at a normal level, the odds of winning are still relatively large. Here's a quick prediction of the starting lineup that Guardiola is likely to send in this game.
In the goalkeeper position, it is natural that the main goalkeeper Ederson continues to guard the goal of the Blue Moon Army, and at the back, it is not surprising that Guardiola should continue to present a solid back four formation, and the four defenders who will most likely be entrusted by Guardiola will be Gvardiol, Akanji, Ake and Kyle Walker. Akanji and Ake will play as a double centre-back, while Gvardiol and Kyle Walker will play at wing-back.
In terms of midfield, there is no doubt that the main midfielder responsible for interceptions and tackles in Manchester City's midfield will still be the world's No. 1 super iron waist Rodri, while the two-man combination with Rodri should be England international Stones who plays in the back. Next to these two midfielders, it is natural that the talented Belgian midfield commander De Bruyne is strategizing, organizing and scheduling, and dominating Manchester City's attacking line.
Up front, it is no surprise that Norwegian boy Erling Haaland, who was rotated in the previous round, will return to the starting line-up and continue to charge forward for Manchester City, while the trident that will be formed by Haaland's Prince Foden and Portuguese ace Bernardo Silva, who have been on a hot streak lately. Argentine "Little Spider" Alvarez will be on the bench.
To sum up, the final 11 expected Manchester City starting XI against Brighton are: Ederson, Gvardiol, Akanji, Ake, Kyle Walker, Rodri, Stones, De Bruyne, Foden, Haaland, Bernardo Silva