Last updated & checked: 10/08/2021
Brighton & Hove Albion clash with Manchester City in the FA Cup semi-final at Wembley on Saturday evening, and Chris Hughton’s Seagulls will be looking to repeat a bit of Cup history. When Albion reached the 1983 FA Cup final, they beat City 4-0 in the fourth round. While a repeat of that result looks unlikely, anything can happen in the FA Cup.
Albion head into the game on the back of two consecutive Premier League defeats, having lost 1-0 at home to Southampton last weekend, and 3-0 away at Chelsea in midweek. They reached the semi-final after beating Millwall on penalties in the sixth round. That game was dramatic, as Brighton overcame a 2-0 deficit in the last 10 minutes to take the game to extra time and then penalties.
City are looking to reach another cup final after beating Chelsea in the Carabao Cup final at Wembley in February.
Brighton vs Manchester City Prediction: Seagulls 1-3 City
Our prediction of for the outcome of this game is that City will win pretty comfortably in the end, with a final scoreline of 3-1 looking likely to us. Brighton might well make a strong start to the game, and may well take the lead with an early goal. City have too much quality to be behind in the game for long, though. Their attacking power will take them to a comfortable win in the end. City are also likely to be motivated by their push for a trophy quadruple, a feat which would be unique in English football.
Our recommended tip: City 3-1
Finding a decent tip for this game is tough, as the bookies have made City such overwhelming favourites on every market. Our featured tip comes from Grosvenor Sport, though, who are offering odds of 21/2 on our prediction of a 3-1 win for City. It is hard to find decent value on many markets for this game, so odds of 21/2 offer good value to astute punters. As we have stated in our prediction, we expect City to win the game pretty convincingly, though we expect Albion to score an early goal to give their 35,000 travelling fans something to cheer.
Previous matches
These two sides have played each other on a total of 20 previous occasions in all competitions in their history. Brighton have won five of those games and City 11, and there have been four draws. The teams first met in the FA Cup in 1924, when City won 5-1 at Brighton. The other previous occasion they met in the Cup came in 1983, when Albion won 4-0 at the Goldstone Ground.
The most recent meeting was in the Premier League earlier this season, in September, at the Etihad Stadium. City won the game 2-0.
Top 3 Premier League Bookies
Players to watch: Solly March & Phil Foden
Brighton midfielder Solly March scored the injury-time equaliser that saw Albion take Millwall to penalties in the sixth round of the Cup. In the league, he has scored one goal and provided five assists for his team-mates. Able to play in a number of different positions in midfield, it will be interesting to see if Brighton gaffer Chris Hughton opts to put the young Englishman in the starting line-up or keeps him on the bench.
Given the array of attacking talent at Manchester City, and the fact that they have scored 19 goals in their four FA Cup games this season, it might be surprising to discover that City’s top scorer in the competition this season is Phil Foden. The 18-year-old Englishman has netted three goals in the Cup in 2018/19. As a defender, his job will be mainly in his own penalty area this Saturday, but he has emerged as one of England’s finest young prospects.
