Manchester City return to Premier League action this weekend when they host Brighton and Hove Albion on Saturday afternoon.
After their midweek clash with Arsenal was postponed due to the Gunners playing their re-arranged Europa League fixture, Man City have had an extended break compared to every team in the league. The last time City were in action was in last Sunday's 1-0 defeat to Liverpool, a result that left them four points off top spot.
It was Pep Guardiola 's first defeat of the season, but his side will be looking to bounce back against an out-of-form Brighton side. The Seagulls have dropped to eighth in the league and are winless in their last four games since Graham Potter departed the club.
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Kyle Walker, Kalvin Phillips and John Stones are all set to miss out against Brighton, with the latter closest to a return out of the three. So, could City get back to winning ways on Saturday? We simulated the game to find out.
Man City vs Brighton simulated
To complete this simulation, we used FIFA 23 and updated the squads with the latest injuries and suspensions.
We predict that City could set up in a 4-3-3 formation, with their line-up as follows: Ederson; Akanji, Dias, Ake, Cancelo; De Bruyne, Rodri, Silva; Foden, Haaland, Grealish.
We predict that the Seagulls could line up in a 3-4-2-1 formation, with their line-up as follows: Sanchez; Veltman, Dunk, Webster; March, Mac Allister, Caicedo, Trossard; Lallana, Gross; Welbeck.
City got off to an ideal start against Brighton in the simulation, with Bernardo Silva and Erling Haaland scoring in the opening 20 minutes to send City 2-0 ahead. Silva was able to meet Manuel Akanji's cross at the back post with a thunderous volley, sending his effort past Robert Sanchez at his near post to hand City the lead.
For the second goal, Jack Grealish spotted the run of Haaland, and he threaded a wonderful pass into the centre of the box for the striker to meet. Haaland shrugged off his marker to break through on goal, and he fired into the top corner to double the lead.
Haaland grabbed his second goal of the afternoon in the 27th minute, with the striker pouncing on a rebound inside the box to slide home from close range. Brighton weren't given a second on the ball in the opening stages, and City had made it 4-0 just past the half-hour mark through Kevin De Bruyne.
Haaland picked up the ball in a dangerous position in the box, but the angle was too tight to shoot as he was forced out wide. Instinctively, Haaland cut the ball back into the box as De Bruyne charged into the area, and the Belgian met the pass with a fantastic diving header - flicking the ball across goal and into the far corner.
Bernardo Silva made it 5-0 to City in the 43rd minute with a brilliant solo run, skipping past two challenges before drilling his shot into the bottom corner of the net. The win was all but confirmed for Guardiola's side, but they continued to press as Grealish notched the sixth goal of the afternoon.
As Haaland dropped to the edge of the box to call for the ball, De Bruyne fizzed a pass into the striker's feet. But, Haaland smartly let the ball run through his legs, allowing Grealish to pick up the ball in space and drive a powerful shot into the top corner of the net.
Guardiola made four changes following the goal, one of them being Serio Gomez for Joao Cancelo. But, within seven minutes of coming on, the defender was shown a red card for a dangerous challenge. Nevertheless, City held out for the 6-0 victory.
FIFA 23 predicted final score: Man City 6-0 Brighton
Here are the full-time match stats:
FIFA 23 predicts that City could produce the perfect response after losing their first game of the season last week, with Guardiola's side running riot in a 6-0 win against Brighton. Two goals for Haaland and Silva plus goals from Grealish and De Bruyne secured the win in the simulation, despite going down to 10 men early in the second half.
What do you think the final score will be? Let us know in the comments!
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