Enzo Maresca has refused to respond to Fabian Hurzeler's talk of revenge as Manchester City prepare to face Brighton for the second time in a week. The City boss is looking to beat the Seagulls again after Wednesday's Carabao Cup victory.
Hurzeler's comments and history
Hurzeler said City "had the luck" in the Carabao Cup win and that success in the second leg of the double header would be the best revenge. The two managers have history, as Chelsea also played Brighton twice in a week two seasons ago.
After Brighton's FA Cup victory, Maresca refused to give an opinion on Hurzeler but praised his predecessor Roberto De Zerbi. Brighton went on to win the Premier League meeting as well and made a pointed social media post after the second game.
Maresca's response
Now at City, Maresca ended a run of three straight defeats at the hands of Brighton when the Blues won on Wednesday. The Italian shrugged off the invitation to respond to Hurzeler's comments as he looks for another Premier League win.
"This is what he said. Every manager can say something different. It depends on what you see with your eyes. But I respect what he said. We try to prepare the game knowing what they are going to do. We try to prepare the game in the best way we can and continue if we can to win games."
"They attack with many players, they score many goals, they create many chances. But again, we're going to try to do our best and try to win the game. If it's revenge or these kinds of things, it's more about them, not about us."
League context
Aston Villa handed City their first league defeat of the season last week, ending their 100 per cent record. City sit level on points with Arsenal at the top and are five points ahead of third-placed Brighton heading into the weekend.
