Man City team news: XI planned against Brighton as Guardiola has three injury dilemmas

A prickly Pep Guardiola has revealed Manchester City will face Brighton in the Premier League with the same team that were beaten by Sporting in the Champions League. Only 15 outfield players from the first team made the trip to Portugal.

Guardiola may have to include Kevin De Bruyne, Nathan Ake and Kyle Walker in his starting XI when he would otherwise be more cautious with stars who have suffered from injuries. All three players missed periods of the campaign due to injuries but were on the bench against Sporting.

“[There is] no good news,” Guardiola said. “We have the same [players available] like we did for Lisbon. The players who traveled are still there.

The City boss will therefore have to get creative if he wants to end a streak of three consecutive defeats. Here's how Express Sport predicts the Premier League champions will line up at Brighton.

Goalkeeper: Ederson

Ederson is City's No.1 goalkeeper and will surely start against Brighton. He has kept just two clean sheets in 10 appearances.

Defenders: Rico Lewis, Manuel Akanji, Josko Gvardiol, Nathan Ake

Guardiola handed teenager Jahmai Simpson-Pusey a full debut against Sporting but could turn to more experienced players to help him overcome Brighton. Ake lasted just over 70 minutes in the 2-1 defeat to Bournemouth and was rested against Sporting – but he was able to return to the team.

The Dutchman could play either in central defense alongside Akanji, or at left back, with Gvardiol inside. Guardiola also has the option to bring Walker back into the team, but may opt to stick with Lewis at right-back.

Midfield: Mateo Kovacic, Phil Foden, Kevin De Bruyne

De Bruyne has slowly returned after suffering a hamstring injury in September. The 33-year-old played six minutes against Sporting but could be thrown in from the start in a bid to add more quality to City's attack.

Meanwhile, all three of Foden's goals this season have come in the Champions League and he needs to step up his domestic action.

Advantages: Savinho, Erling Haaland, Bernardo Silva

With De Bruyne returning to the starting XI, Guardiola could put Silva in the top three. Matheus Nunes has been used as a makeshift left winger in recent weeks, but has struggled in that role.

Guardiola has confirmed that Jack Grealish remains absent despite being called up to the England squad for November's Nations League matches against Greece and Ireland. A visibly unhappy Guardiola said of the situation: “That's a question for the England manager.”