Manchester City have a tough start to their campaign as they look to challenge Chelsea for the league title. They are favourites to lift the title and Brighton are one of the favourites for relegation, so you would think this would be easy for Manchester City. However, travelling away to a newly promoted team on the opening day of the season is not easy and I can see Brighton making this very tough for Manchester City.
This has everything we want from an opening day fixture, it promises to be a great game, with plenty of action. Can Brighton really pull off a huge shock and beat Manchester City, or will the superiority of Manchester City make this game a walk in the park?
Brighton Form
Brighton have performed very well in pre-season, with just one defeat that came against a strong Atletico Madrid team. They only lost that game 3-2 and left it with a lot of credit and hope for the upcoming season. They won three of their six games in pre-season and after a tough schedule they will be ready to face what the Premier League will throw at them.
Last season they were fantastic in the Championship, finishing second behind Newcastle to gain promotion. The Premier League is a tough league and Brighton need to be ready for what is about to be thrown at them. Starting off with a game against Manchester City they will learn quickly just how tough the league is.
Manchester City Form
Manchester City have looked good in pre-season, comfortably beating Tottenham and Real Madrid on their American tour. They did suffer defeat against Manchester United at the start of pre-season, but aside from that they have been impressive. They have only played four pre-season games, with their last game seeing them beat West Ham 3-0 last weekend. While they have impressed, their lack of game time is something that worries me a little and I do wonder if they will take a game or two to really get going.
Last season Manchester City eventually finished 3rd in the Premier League, an end result that was a little disappointing for them. They will want to improve on that and have signed the players to do so. They head into the season as favourites to win the league and with that comes pressure, the pressure is on them to succeed.
Team News
Brighton have strengthened over the summer but they have not brought in any players with an proven Premier League record. That may come back to haunt them later in the season, but the players they have brought in all do look like they are capable of doing a job. I am especially looking forward to seeing Davy Propper, who has arrived from PSV Eindhoven and he will need to impose himself in midfield if Brighton do want to survive.
Manchester City have spent big this summer in an attempt to win back the Premier League title. They have strengthened all over the pitch, but especially in defence where they have signed Kyle Walker, Benjamin Mendy and Danilo, three top class full backs. Add to that the signing of winger Bernado Silva and it is clear to see that Manchester City are going all out to win the Premier League title this season. It may take a few weeks until we see what their best eleven is, but regardless of who they play, they have a fantastic squad to choose from.
Top Betting Tips
This is a really intriguing match and one that Manchester City will not be looking forward to. A visit to a newly promoted team is tough on the opening day, and Brighton are going to make this very uncomfortable for them.
The one thing that I am expecting to see in this game is goals, I believe many goals will be scored. Due to this I am going to take a punt on two correct score results, both featuring many goals and a Manchester City win. I don’t think this will be easy for Manchester City, but eventually I do think they will scrape through.
I am going to back Manchester City to win the game 3-2 and 4-2. You can back 3-2 at 33/1 with Ladbrokes and 4-2 at a huge 40/1 with Ladbrokes. These are long shots but I expect to see plenty of goals in this game and a slight Manchester City victory, meaning both of these scores are a possibility in this game.