Bernardo Silva is a difference maker for Manchester City (Picture: Getty Images)
A trip to the south coast to face Brighton at the Amex Stadium used to be a daunting prospect for any team in the country.
The Seagulls won ten times in front of their own fans as they finished a brilliant sixth last season and qualified for their first adventure in European football.
Albion manager Roberto De Zerbi was hailed as one of the sharpest minds in the game and life in Sussex was grand.
But while the wheels may not quite have fallen off the Brighton bandwagon, a couple of them have definitely suffered slow punctures. They are currently tenth in the table, adrift of the qualification places for the Europa League and Europa Conference League.
Playing in Europe has taken its toll on the Seagulls and their domestic form has tailed off somewhat both at home and away.
It’s also possible De Zerbi’s style of play has been worked out by opposition managers who have been able to nullify his tactics, although his name continues to be linked with managerial vacancies at huge clubs, most recently Bayern Munich.
Roberto De Zerbi and Brighton have lost their way (Picture: Getty Images)
On Thursday night Manchester City will respect Brighton, who retain the potential to send them to a defeat which would seriously hinder their chances of retaining the Premier League title but one win in their last seven top-flight matches suggests otherwise.
They have scored just four times in that spell and the 1-1 draw at Burnley was only secured thanks to an own goal from Clarets goalkeeper Arijanet Muric while City, who reached the FA Cup final by beating Chelsea on Saturday, have scored in all but one of their last 29 games in all competitions.
Pep Guardiola’s side have sometimes looked jaded in recent weeks as they chase an unprecedented fourth straight Premier League title but their destiny is still in their own hands with the winning post in sight.
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Erling Haaland is out tonight and Phil Foden still a doubt but they should win this with relative ease and a 2-0 away victory is 8/1 with William Hill and bet365 while Bernardo Silva, who stuck away the only goal at Wembley, is 11/1 with Paddy Power, Betfair and bet365 to break the deadlock and 15/4 with the latter to score at any time.
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