2026-2027 Carabao Cup: Manchester City vs. Brighton, Probable Lineups

Manchester City hosts Brighton tonight at 8:30 p.m. at Etihad Stadium, with a spot in the Carabao Cup quarterfinals on the line. In the previous round, the Citizens crushed Norwich 5-0, while the Seagulls knocked out Manchester United with a 3-2 comeback victory. However, both teams are coming into this match off a Premier League loss: City fell 2-1 on the road to Aston Villa, while Brighton was defeated 2-0 by Liverpool.

Enzo Maresca is expected to make significant lineup changes, especially with the upcoming league matchup against Brighton on the horizon. Rulli is expected to start in goal, while Lewis, Reis, Khusanov, and O’Reilly could feature in defense. In midfield, Bouaddi could partner Kovacic. Up front, young McAidoo is expected to start in place of Haaland. Antoine Semenyo remains sidelined due to injury.

Fabian Hurzeler could also make several changes to the starting lineup. Steele is expected to start in goal, with Costinha and Hadjam on the flanks and Vuskovic and Dunk in the center of the defense. In midfield, Gross could be paired with Yalcouye. Up front, Rutter is the favorite to lead the attack. The conditions of Kadioglu and Chema Andres—who came away banged up from the match against Liverpool—remain to be assessed, while Mitoma, Azeez, Ferguson, and Tzimas are unavailable.

Probable Lineups

MANCHESTER CITY (4-2-3-1): Rulli; Lewis, Reis, Khusanov, O’Reilly; Kovacic, Bouaddi; Allan, Foden, Doku; McAidoo. Head Coach: Enzo Maresca.

BRIGHTON (4-2-3-1): Steele; Costinha, Vuskovic, Dunk, Hadjam; Gross, Yalcouye; Diego Gomez, Hinshelwood, Osman; Rutter. Head Coach: Fabian Hurzeler.