Manchester City will look to get back to winning ways in the Premier League when they take on Brighton at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday.
City suffered their first loss of the season last weekend against Liverpool, as Mohamed Salah's goal proved the difference in a thrilling contest at Anfield. The defeat left City four points behind league leaders Arsenal, meaning Pep Guardiola's side will not want to suffer any more slip-ups before the season pauses for the World Cup.
Guardiola surprised many City fans with his team selection last weekend, dropping Jack Grealish to the bench in favour of Ilkay Gundogan. Perhaps more surprising than the personnel he selected though was how he deployed them - City played with a back three with Joao Cancelo pushed up high like a winger, while Kevin de Bruyne often found himself in an unfamiliar wide role.
READ MORE: Man City can finally unleash secret weapon to navigate next seven fixtures and help Erling Haaland
While City were by no means poor at Anfield, it all felt a little uncomfortable. Given how well City had done before the Liverpool game, it would be no surprise to see Guardiola revert to the system which saw his side go undefeated in nine matches.
Defence
Ruben Dias and Nathan Ake have looked solid as a centre-back partnership this season so there is no reason for either to drop out of the starting XI, unless Guardiola wants to get some more minutes into the legs of Aymeric Laporte.
On Friday Guardiola confirmed that John Stones is available after recovering from a hamstring injury, but with just two days full training under his belt it seems unlikely that he will start.
Joao Cancelo didn't have the best of afternoons at Anfield, adding more weight to the theory that he looks more comfortable playing on City's left flank rather than the right. To allow him to play on the left, Manuel Akanji should fill in at right-back, something he did against Southampton a few weeks ago.
Midfield
Rodri and Kevin de Bruyne will keep their starting spots, but Bernardo Silva should drop back into the midfield three in place of Ilkay Gundogan. Part of the reason why Guardiola started both Bernardo and Gundogan against Liverpool was to try and guard against Liverpool's quick transitions. Brighton are more of a possession-based team - like City - so both are probably not needed.
Attack
Jack Grealish appeared to be hitting his stride in the weeks following the September international break, so it was a surprise that Guardiola benched him against Liverpool.
The 27-year-old should start on the left flank with Phil Foden on the right and Erling Haaland in the middle.
Predicted XI: Ederson, Akanji, Dias, Ake, Cancelo, Rodri, De Bruyne, Bernardo, Foden, Haaland, Grealish.
READ NEXT:
