Maresca Warns Man City to Expect Tough Brighton Test After League Cup Thriller

Manchester City manager Enzo Maresca has warned his side to expect another difficult encounter against Brighton when the teams meet in the Premier League on Saturday, just days after their dramatic League Cup clash.

City booked their place in the quarter-finals on Wednesday after surviving a scare against Brighton at the Etihad Stadium. The match ended 2-2 after the reigning League Cup holders twice came from behind before winning the penalty shootout.

Both teams made significant changes for the cup fixture, with 16 alterations between them. Maresca and Brighton manager Fabian Hurzeler are expected to restore their strongest available line-ups for Saturday’s league meeting.

Maresca praised Brighton’s recent form, highlighting their attacking threat and aggressive approach. He said the visitors had consistently taken the initiative against their opponents, including Arsenal, Crystal Palace and Liverpool.

“They are in a brilliant moment,” Maresca said. “They are winning games, they are scoring goals. They are scoring many goals every game – three, four, five, goals a game.”

He added that he expected Brighton to maintain the same approach in the Premier League encounter. “We knew that this was a tough game and they’re going to be exactly the same on Saturday,” Maresca said.

Wednesday’s cup tie saw Malick Yalcouye put Brighton ahead before Mateo Kovacic equalised with a curling strike from 25 yards. Georginio Rutter restored Brighton’s lead shortly after half-time, but Vitor Reis deflected Rayan Cherki’s 72nd-minute free-kick into the net to force a shootout. Although Kovacic missed his penalty, goalkeeper Geronimo Rulli saved efforts from Yasin Ayari and Lewis Dunk to send City through.

The Premier League meeting carries significant implications near the top of the table. City are level on points with leaders Arsenal, while third-placed Brighton trail the leading pair by five points. City have also been drawn at home against third-tier Bradford in the League Cup quarter-finals, but Maresca insists his immediate focus remains on winning matches in the league.

“This is a new project with new players, a new manager. It started three months ago,” he said. “We need to do our business. That is winning games and, at the moment, we are doing that.”