Manchester City predicted lineup vs Brighton - Premier League
By Tom Gott
Manchester City will continue their celebrations when they travel to face Brighton in the Premier League on Wednesday.
Just a few weeks ago, this game in hand looked like one City would need to win to get themselves ahead in the title race, but a major stumble from Arsenal delivered the title earlier than expected.
As a result, Pep Guardiola can take a step back here and keep his focus on the upcoming Champions League and FA Cup finals, which could yet complete a treble.
Here's how the boss could set up for this one.
Manchester City predicted lineup vs Brighton (3-2-4-1)
GK: Ederson - Stefan Ortega got to enjoy a run-out against Chelsea but Guardiola may bring Ederson back in here.
CB: Kyle Walker - Walker will likely sit out the final Premier League game of the season, so this could be his last chance to keep up his fitness.
CB: Ruben Dias - Benched for the Chelsea game, Dias is another who could benefit from one last run-out before things start getting serious again.
CB: Aymeric Laporte - Nathan Ake's return from injury won't be rushed and his natural replacement, Manuel Akanji, may need a rest after playing an hour last time out.
DM: John Stones - This spot could easily go to Rico Lewis who, if he doesn't start, will definitely come on for the final half an hour.
DM: Kalvin Phillips - Rodri is too important to risk at this stage of the season, so expect more minutes for Phillips.
RM: Bernardo Silva - Guardiola has so many options for this spot that it's almost impossible for him to rest all his stars.
CM: Ilkay Gundogan - Gundogan saw no minutes against Chelsea so may need a little refresher here.
CM: Julian Alvarez - Minor fitness issues plagued Kevin De Bruyne towards the end of the season and so he shouldn't play again until it's necessary.
LM: Jack Grealish - Another who was given a rest against Chelsea, Grealish will want to keep his sharpness with an outing here.
ST: Erling Haaland - Expect Haaland to be wrapped up in cotton wool once he's picked up enough minutes to keep his fitness levels.
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