City team news: Joao Pedro and O'Riley back in contention

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Albion face the champions at the Amex on Saturday.

Charlie Hanson

2024-11-07T10:00+00:00

Joao Pedro is back in training and in contention for Saturday's game against Manchester City. 📷 by James Boardman.

Albion take on reigning Premier League champions Manchester City at the Amex on Saturday, kick-off 5.30pm.

Team news

At this pre-match media conference, Fabian Hurzeler confirmed that Matt O'Riley and Joao Pedro have a 'big chance' of being in the squad. Yasin Ayari was due to return to training on Thursday and Carlos Baleba is also in contention after missing the 2-1 defeat against Liverpool.

Fabian's thoughts

On a missed opportunity against Liverpool... Football is a game of results, you need results. It's important that we also understand it's not only about playing good football and having good performances. It's about winning games. We have ambitions and our club has ambitions and we should be very disappointed if we travel to Liverpool and don't manage to win the game after the performance we had.

On the feeling that his team should have more points this season... On the one side I think we can be happy about the performances, how we play, the style of play, how we have developed. On the other side, when we look at the results, we could have more points. There are still things we can improve, especially the game management, how to win the games maybe in an ugly way and efficient way. There we are still in a process.

On beating a City side in a poor run of form... Against every team there are opportunities. Especially this season, the league is so equal. It's very, very competitive. Everyone can beat everyone and we see it every weekend. That's why we always see an opportunity. We always see a chance.

Of course, we have a lot of respect. City is, for me, still the best team in the world, they have the best manager in the world. But in the end it's a game and we play at home and we want to continue our process and we see this as a next opportunity to challenge the establishment.

Match stats

Albion have conceded more Premier League goals against Manchester City than they have against any other opponent (40), failing to keep a clean sheet in any of their 14 such matches.
Manchester City have taken 37 points from 42 available against Brighton in the Premier League (W12 D1 L1), with their only dropped points coming at the Amex Stadium (2-3 in May 2021, 1-1 in May 2023).
Brighton have dropped ten points from winning positions in the Premier League this season, only four fewer than they did in the whole of 2023-24. Indeed, both of the Seagulls’ defeats this term have come after they’ve taken the lead (2-4 v Chelsea, 1-2 v Liverpool).
Brighton are unbeaten in their five Premier League home games so far this season (W2 D3) – only in 1982-83 have they had a longer run without a home defeat from the start of a top-flight campaign (7).
Manchester City’s 32-game unbeaten run in the Premier League came to an end at Bournemouth last time out. Only in October 2023, December 2018 and December 2016 have they lost consecutive league games under Pep Guardiola.
Manchester City have conceded the first goal in five of their 10 Premier League games so far this season – it’s the first time they’ve done so in as many as half of their opening 10 games in a campaign since 2006-07 (also 5).
Only Leicester City (55%) have converted a higher share of their big chances in the Premier League this season than Brighton (46% - 12/26).
73% of Man City’s goals conceded in the Premier League this season have come in the first half of matches (8/11), the highest share in the division this term. Four of these have come in the opening 15 minutes – only Ipswich and West Ham (5) have conceded more, while it’s the highest proportion for any side (36%).
Danny Welbeck has either scored (3) or assisted (1) a goal in each of his last four Premier League games – he’s never registered a goal involvement in five consecutive matches in the competition before.
City’s Phil Foden has scored more Premier League goals against Brighton than he has against any other opponent, netting eight goals in just seven starts against the Seagulls. However, Foden has failed to score in any of his seven Premier League games this term, last having a longer run of appearances without a league goal between May 2019 and March 2020 (15).