City have the chance to get back to winning ways on Wednesday night, albeit in the Carabao Cup against one of the standout teams in the country so far in 2026/27.

Brighton may have lost to Liverpool at the weekend, but the Seagulls sit third in the Premier League table and have scored a frightening 23 goals and conceded just seven – both of these figures are better than City (20 and nine).

Looking ahead to the game, here are some changes Maresca needs to consider.

Matheus Nunes to right-back

Abdukodir Khusanov actually did OK against Villa, but Matheus Nunes ought to play against Brighton if he is fit, after missing out at the weekend due to injury. Maresca has said he could be back for this one.

City want to get back to winning ways, and statistically the team fares better when he’s on the pitch.

As per Manchester Evening News, City have won 38/50 games when Nunes has started in that time, and drawn another eight. Their win rate with the Portugal star in the team is basically three in every four matches (76%), and they have only lost four games (8%) when he’s played.

But there’s another big reason why a Nunes selection makes sense, and that is because of the threat of Maxim De Cuyper who – with two goals and two assists so far this season – has been a standout player for Brighton this season playing further forward.

It’s possible he could be rotated, but an alternative for the left wing for Brighton is Ibrahim Osman, who is exceptionally fast. As we know, Nunes is no slouch.

Nunes’ recovery pace could be particularly useful if Brighton try to exploit the space behind City’s right-back. With De Cuyper capable of pushing on and Osman offering pace if selected, City will need to be careful about how aggressively their full-backs push forward.

Khusanov in place of Guehi

City have struggled at the back this season and currently Marc Guehi isn’t having a great time. His mistake saw Villa take the lead on Saturday and the England centre-back isn’t quite showing the high levels he did last term.

As per Sofascore, Khusanov made a whopping 16 defensive actions against Villa and ought to be moved inside alongside Dias.

Brighton are undoubtedly going to put City under pressure with their hyper-aggressive style, so Khusanov could well be making far more than the five clearances and eight tackles he made against Villa. But those numbers show him to be a good backs-to-the-wall defender and that could be important against the Seagulls.

Ayyoub Bouaddi and Mateo Kovacic in midfield

Maresca came in for some criticism for not starting Ayyoub Bouaddi against Villa, but he could certainly be of use against Brighton.

For all the talk about Brighton’s quality in possession, they are also a very difficult outfit to play against because of their superb pressing. Players tend to get very little time on the ball when playing against Seagulls and sometimes multiple players can press the player on the ball.

You arguably need your most press-resistant players to face them, and Bouaddi has consistently drawn praise for his composure on the ball. It would make a lot of sense to bring him in here despite his youth.

Mateo Kovacic is another player who does not get flustered when pressed and would be another wise pick by Maresca.

With Bouaddi providing protection and Kovacic carrying the ball through pressure, City could give Phil Foden more freedom to operate between Brighton’s midfield and defence. The key will be ensuring that at least one midfielder and one full-back remain positioned to protect against counter-attacks when possession is lost.

Phil Foden as a number 10

We know that Brighton close down brilliantly and often because of the way they press as a team, there is very little space to manoeuvre.

Bearing that in mind, Phil Foden is arguably a very sensible pick here given his ability to play in the small spaces. Technically he is very strong, and he is likely to cause problems in between the lines with his ability to get in the half-turn.

Foden only played half a game against Villa so he should be nice and fresh to come into the starting XI and hopefully build on the showings he had against Ipswich and AEK Athens, against whom he scored a hat-trick.

Plus there is also the fact that Foden has scored eight goals in 12 appearances against Brighton. To leave him on the bench given that record would perhaps be foolish.