Brighton vs. Man City Betting Tips: Two bets for south coast clash

A clash between two of the Premier League's star performers takes place on Wednesday night when Brighton lock horns with Man City, live on Sky Sports at 8pm.

Scott Thornton has previewed the match and supplied us with his two best bets.

Man City were crowned champions last weekend but it is business as usual with some crucial games still to come.

Pep Guardiola’s side are chasing what would be an historic treble. No side has accomplished the feat in English football since 1999.

They faced a strong challenge from Arsenal this season but City’s relentless winning ways, particularly in the closing months of the season, have meant that Arsenal fell away with games to spare.

Brighton have been fantastic in their own right this season. They have secured European football for next season but they will want to ensure they earn a place in the Europa League in their remaining matches.

Graham Potter departed the club early in the season but the transition to Roberto De Zerbi has been seamless. They beat Southampton 3-1 in their last match but they have suffered two heavy defeats in their last four matches.

We are going to back under 34.5 throws in this match. This is an angle we have revisited over the course of the season and with good reason.

Man City matches see the fewest throws in the Premier League with an average of 29.47 per game, which is comfortably below the league average of 38.14.

Pep Guardiola’s sides are known for their technical ability. He wants his side to keep the ball moving in order to move their opponents and open spaces for their attackers to exploit.

The players seldom dribble at their opposite number 1v1. Instead, they opt to seek out a numerical advantage in the wide areas. This aspect, coupled with the team keeping the pressure on the opposition by recycling possession mean that their matches see very few throws.

Man City’s numbers against Brighton also make for good reading. There have been 33 throws or fewer in the last five meetings between these sides. The average number of throws across the matches is 29.6 so the unders line in this bet builder is very appealing.

Brighton’s last 10 home matches are averaging 28.4 throws per game. There have been 34 throws or fewer in nine of those 10 matches.

I’m also backing both teams to find the net. Man City will likely opt to rotate but I expect Haaland to feature in order to maintain his match sharpness ahead of two cup finals. Pep’s team are capable of scoring a glut of goals whichever team they field. They have only failed to score in one of their last 20 matches.

Brighton are averaging 2.3 goals per game across their last 10 home matches. They have only failed to score in one of these matches. They were beaten 3-1 at the Etihad earlier this season. This fixture ended with a 4-1 win for City last season.

For the longer odds bet, we are taking the same angles as the main bet but with a decreased throw line. The averages in these sides recent matches mean this still looks achievable. 

We are also going to add under 2.5 cards.

With the title wrapped up, City are unlikely to make this a feisty affair. There has been two cards or less in three of their last four league matches and this should be an amicable clash between two good footballing sides.