Rodri returns as Julian Alvarez decision made – Man City predicted team vs Brighton

Manchester City will be hoping to end their Premier League decline at the Etihad on Saturday and Pep Guardiola has a strong squad to choose from.

Manchester City welcome Brighton and Hove Albion to the Etihad Stadium on Saturday afternoon and Pep Guardiola will be relieved that Rodri is available again.

The Blues have lost their last two league games against Wolves and Arsenal after being knocked out of the Carabao Cup following a defeat to Newcastle United. Rodri missed all three games after being sent off for grabbing Nottingham Forest’s Morgan Gibbs-White by the throat.

However, having played for Spain during the international break, he is available and Guardiola will waste no time in reclaiming his place in the starting XI.In the 27-year-old’s absence, City have tried several options in midfield but have failed to provide the required quality in or out of possession.

Rodri will almost certainly return as a deeper midfielder, allowing Mateo Kovacic to take his preferred role a little further up the offensive line. The Croatian started well at City but has struggled in recent weeks and was lucky not to be sent off against Arsenal.

Guardiola faces a big decision in his role as the most advanced midfielder after Julian Alvarez played 79 minutes for Argentina in the early hours. However, the 23-year-old has been City’s best striker in recent weeks and played the entire game against West Ham following the recent international break.

Alvarez has earned his place in the starting XI and should keep it behind Erling Haaland. The Norwegian didn’t have a single shot on target against Arsenal and hasn’t scored in his last three games for City, although a goal for his country could extend his lead in that regard.

All four options are available to Guardiola on either side of Haaland. Bernardo Silva and Jeremy Doku only appeared once at half-time, while Jack Grealish and Phil Foden started once and appeared briefly as substitutes.

Brighton are likely to play big and aggressive on Saturday, Guardiola could benefit from Doku’s pace and Grealish’s dribbling skills on either wing, while Foden and Silva will be available on the bench.

Kyle Walker was rested during England’s friendly win over Australia before playing the full 90 minutes against Italy. The 33-year-old is enjoying the form of his life and has been unbeatable for City this season, having played more minutes than anyone else in blue.

He will continue to play at right-back, with Ruben Dias alongside him in the middle. The other two defensive positions change frequently and Guardiola is expected to play with central defenders Manuel Akanji and Josko Gvardiol on the left wing, with Ederson always present in goal.

John Stones played a total of 90 minutes in England’s two games, continuing to improve his fitness after a long absence.Guardiola will be careful not to overload the defender and most likely put him on the bench.

City predicted XI in full: Ederson; Walker, Dias, Akanji, Gvardiol; Rodri, Kovacic, Alvarez; Doku, Grealish Haaland