Man City XI vs Brighton: Haaland returns for Premier League clash

Manchester City will recall Erling Haaland as they face Brighton again in the Premier League today. Leaders Man City host the third-place Seagulls for the second time in the space of just four days this afternoon, having edged past Fabian Hurzeler's high-flying side on penalties in midweek following an entertaining 2-2 draw to reach the quarter-finals of the Carabao Cup.

Team news and availability

Head coach Enzo Maresca made the decision to rest a number of his stars on Wednesday night, with the likes of Gianluigi Donnarumma and Haaland sitting out. However, City have no fresh injury worries to contend with and they are expected to rotate all those players back in for Saturday's top-flight clash at the Etihad Stadium.

Maresca said at his pre-match press conference on Friday: "They are all available, [apart from] Antoine Semenyo. The rest, they are all available."

Predicted lineup and defensive changes

Marc Guehi struggled in the 2-1 defeat by Aston Villa but started against Brighton - indicating that he could be rested this weekend as Abdukodir Khusanov potentially comes in to partner Ruben Dias at centre-back. The full-backs should see Matheus Nunes on the right and Josko Gvardiol, also rested in midweek, on the left.

Enzo Fernandez and Elliot Anderson are quickly establishing themselves as Maresca's preferred midfield pairing, and they should be reunited against Brighton. Phil Foden and Rayan Cherki proved that they can play together successfully on Wednesday night, and with Semenyo out and Iliman Ndiaye putting in a poor performance against Villa, it would not be a surprise to see the duo start again here.