Match Preview – Brighton v Manchester City
Manchester City – the club
Manchester City have always been one of England’s biggest clubs, despite which their trials and tribulations down the years have bought joy to many of us lower league fans. It was always pleasing to see that it wasn’t just small clubs who could make catastrophic cock ups, such as the time City conspired to drop into the third tier and face local derbies with Macclesfield Town. Those days seem like a world away now, the vast wealth of Abu Dhabi having bought in two Premier League titles, an FA Cup and two League Cups since 2008. Not to mention the small matter of a set of full backs who cost more than the Amex Stadium, a goalkeeper who will be playing tomorrow who cost more than our entire team put together and one of the greatest managers to have ever graced a technical area.
Manchester – the place
Manchester is a fantastic city and a place we have rarely had the pleasure of experiencing in recent times since we have never been good enough to play the two Manchester clubs and too good for the likes of Oldham, Bury and Stockport. The fact our away game at City clashes with FA Cup Quarter Final Day and so is likely to be moved to a Tuesday night is excellent news for fans of midweek trips coupled with student nights out. It is of course also home to Coronation Street, a wonderful place where nobody ever seems to have to go more than five yards from their home other than to visit the pub. It sounds like the ultimate idea of heaven, even if there is an unusually high death rate.
Manchester – the people
Noel and Liam Gallagher are true City fans, having supported them even in those days of big away games at Moss Rose. Liam in particular has been very active this summer, playing Glastonbury and Ariana Grande’s One Love Manchester concert. We only mention this to have an excuse to point out that Ariana Grande has the best legs in the world. If you are reading this Ariana, drop us an email via the contact page as we would love to take you out for a Wetherspoons Surf and Turf and a £1.99 Magners.
A good memory of Manchester City at home
We’ve only played City once in nearly 30 years but that was one of Withdean’s best ever nights. Everyone was expecting a cricket score as an Albion side who had three days previously lost 1-0 at home to nine man Walsall took on the world’s richest club. Remarkably, it finished 2-2, went to penalties and some inspired saves from Michel Kuipers ensured we won 5-3 on spot kicks. Cue a mental pitch invasion, including an electric wheelchair slowly making its way onto the pitch from the south east corner, only to be turned around by a killjoy steward.
A bad memory of Manchester City at home
41 year old head ball boy Keith Cuss getting sacked for heading the ball into the crowd in a quite brilliant time wasting manoeuvre when City visited the Goldstone in 1989 was a low moment.
Played for both
Plenty of Brighton fans went delirious at the loan captures of Abdul Razak and Gai Assulin from City in early 2012. Razak in particular started well but both flattered to deceive, especially in a dire game at the Keepmoat Stadium. They lived up to the mantra of two promising foreign talents who couldn’t do it on a sunny March Saturday in Doncaster.
Betting
City are bedding in a new defence and goalkeeper which means there is a little bit of uncertainty for the Albion to exploit. Both teams to score and City to win is 21/10. Pascal Gross has looked in excellent form over the summer and appears to be a signing who has snook under the bookies radar. He is 17/2 anytime goalscorer.
You can read our full OLBG betting preview for Brighton v Manchester City here
WeAreBrighton.com Prediction
It goes one of two ways. We either sneak a 1-0 in which Mat Ryan’s goal survives the sort of onslaught rarely seen outside of Pryzm when the rarity of a fit girl appears. Or history repeats itself and we open our debut Premier League campaign as we did our debut top flight campaign in 1979 with a 4-0 defeat. Don’t expect a happy medium.
