Chris Hughton’s side have fought a different kind of battle to Pep Guardiola‘s, with the Seagulls recently securing their place in the top division for another season.
As with every game, personal duels will play a major factor in the team result, and we’ve picked out some potential clashes which could be key on Sunday...
Vincent Kompany v Glenn Murray
City have won 15 of the 16 league games that our club captain has featured in this season, and whilst competition for the centre-back places has been intense thanks to solid performances from Aymeric Laporte, Nicolas Otamendi and John Stones, after the skipper’s heroics on Monday night, he’ll be hoping to start the final fixture to help his team lift the Premier League trophy.
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We’ve only conceded six league goals with Kompany on the pitch in 2018/19, and will be hoping to be able to have maintained that stat come the final whistle on Sunday.
One of the players Vinnie will be looking to stop is Glenn Murray, an opponent he first met back in 2008, in a then Carling Cup fixture which Brighton won on penalties. It wasn’t a direct battle that day, with the Belgian playing in centre midfield, using the technical ability he showed he still has earlier this week.
Brighton’s veteran striker will look back on that day fondly, as it was his 89th-minute goal that took the game into extra time. He’s featured in all of the Seagulls’ league games this year, and is enjoying his joint best goal-scoring season in the top flight, hitting the back of the net 12 times. Despite only one of these goals being with his head, the forward possesses an aerial presence which should add to an exciting duel between the two.
Raheem Sterling v Bruno
Raheem Sterling has scored an incredible 17 goals in 33 games this Premier League season, assisting another 12. Those figures, alongside his all-round play, have already earned him the personal accolade of PFA Young Player of the Year as well as the Football Writers’ Player of the Year and the 24 year-old will be looking for a second Premier League winners medal in as many seasons to add to his collection.
READ | Sterling, Stanway and Houghton pick up PFA awards
Sterling has shown wisdom beyond his years both on and off the pitch this year, but will face a vastly experienced footballer in the shape of Brighton’s right-back, Bruno, at the weekend. The 38 year-old has played a whopping 584 professional games in his career - 224 of them in a Brighton shirt.
He’s only been involved in one goal this season and in doing so, broke the record of the oldest goalscorer/provider combination in Premier League history. 73 years and 57 days was the combined age when Bruno’s cross found Glenn Murray back in October 2018, in a 1-0 victory against Wolves.
It’s unlikely that Sterling will catch the Spaniard too far up the pitch and out of position, but our rapid winger’s pace should be able to cause the full-back one or two problems.
Oleksandr Zinchenko v Solly March
Oleksandr Zinchenko boasts a perfect league record in a City shirt this season, winning all 13 games he’s played in (21 in total for a 100% record to date). The Ukrainian has played as a left-back for Guardiola‘s side, but has used his creative midfielder roots to help keep our football flowing with an impressive average of 78 passes per game.
Brighton have changed their shape and rotated their players’ positions throughout the season, with both Pascal Gross and Anthony Knoackaert occupying the right wing. This weekend though, its likely Zinchenko will be in a personal battle with Solly March, who has played in 35 league games so far.
The winger has whipped in 143 crosses in 2018/19, with 30% of them reaching their targets. Sunday will be just the second time March has played this campaign knowing that Brighton’s Premier League status is intact for another year, so could prove to be a tricky customer with that added freedom to his game.
Zinchenko will be looking to push forward too though, making sure March has a defensive responsibility as well as an attacking one.
Sergio Aguero v Shane Duffy
It seems that with every Premier League fixture comes a chance for Sergio Aguero to break records and climb leader boards, and Sunday will be no different - though the team prize will be at the forefront of his targets!
The Argentine striker currently sits joint sixth in the all-time Premier League goalscorer charts, sharing the place with Robbie Fowler. Kun can make that place his own with a goal against Brighton.
It would take at least a record-breaking 11th Premier League hat-trick to take the golden boot for this season, but with Sergio, you can never rule it out.
He has two goals in his last three games against the Seagulls, and it’ll be up to Shane Duffy and company to stop that tally from growing. Winning personal battles is something Duffy’s managed to do more often than not this season, being successful in 227 duels and losing out in just 98.
The Irishman also has five league goals to his name, three with his head and one with each foot - an impressive return for the centre-half!
