Manchester City face Brighton and Hove Albion in the Premier League on Saturday, just three days after edging the Seagulls 4-3 on penalties in the Carabao Cup at the Etihad Stadium. Brighton head coach Fabian Hurzeler has already promised his side will seek revenge in the rematch.
City made nine changes for Wednesday's cup tie, with only Marc Guehi and Rayan Cherki, both substituted at half-time in the defeat at Aston Villa, keeping their places. Enzo Maresca had earlier confirmed that Gianluigi Donnarumma, Ruben Dias, Josko Gvardiol, Elliot Anderson and Erling Haaland were given three-day holidays after the loss to Unai Emery's side.
Brighton Comeback Falls Short
Brighton led twice during the cup match, but City's second-string side fought back and nearly won in normal time, with Enzo Fernandez unable to convert Phil Foden's free kick. The tie went to penalties, where the Blues prevailed 4-3.
The victory makes City favourites to win the Carabao Cup, particularly after Arsenal's defeat to Fleetwood, though Maresca will accept things could have gone differently.
Hurzeler Promises Revenge
Hurzeler praised his side after the narrow defeat, saying: "I think the game was there for us. Also the way we conceded the goals was very unlucky. Overall we will take plenty of positives away from this performance."
He added: "My players really showed togetherness. They faced a lot of adversity with goals we conceded out of nowhere but we always try to keep going. We had plenty of chances we could score today. Sometimes you need also a bit of luck to get to the next round."
Hurzeler then signed off: "We have a bad feeling but the positive thing is we can come back in three days again and then we can take revenge and hopefully we have a better feeling."
Motivation for the Blues
Maresca will note that City created good chances during the cup tie and were not undeserving of beating the Seagulls, despite riding their luck at times. But Hurzeler's final comment on revenge could linger, and Maresca may use those words in his team talk to avoid complacency.
City need to match Brighton's intensity, and Hurzeler's comments, combined with the suggestion that City were 'lucky' to get past them, should spur the Blues on. Both sides will make changes on Saturday, and Maresca will expect an even tougher challenge, with his players having added motivation to return to winning ways in the Premier League.
