Erling Haaland is back in the starting XI against the Seagulls this afternoon, and one more goal could hand him a Premier League record he will not want on his CV.
He has scored in each of his last four league meetings with Brighton, yet he has not won any of them: two draws and two defeats. If he scores at the Etihad today and Man City draw or lose, he becomes the first player in Premier League history to score in five successive games against a single opponent and fail to win any.
Kick-off is at 3pm. Haaland was one of five senior players rested for Wednesday’s shootout win over the same opponents, and he returns alongside Jeremy Doku and Iliman Ndiaye in the front line of Enzo Maresca’s team.
The full XI is Gianluigi Donnarumma, Matheus Nunes, Ruben Dias, Abdukodir Khusanov, Josko Gvardiol, Enzo Fernandez, Elliot Anderson, Ayyoub Bouaddi, Doku, Haaland and Ndiaye. Having said on Friday that no player is undroppable, Maresca has left Phil Foden, Rayan Cherki and Marc Guehi on the bench.
What is the unwanted Erling Haaland record?
Only three players have got as far as four. Haaland shares the mark with two men whose runs were spread over years, and today gives him the chance to go clear of them for all the wrong reasons.
| Player | Opponent | Four-game run |
|---|---|---|
| Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink | Manchester United | November 1998 to February 2001 |
| Charlie Austin | Arsenal | December 2014 to April 2018 |
| Erling Haaland | Brighton | Still running |
It is a daft record, the sort that only exists because somebody went looking, but it does point at something real. City have stopped being able to rely on his goals in this fixture.
How do Brighton keep surviving his goals?
His personal numbers against them are excellent: seven goals in seven Premier League appearances, scoring in all four of his home games. The problem has been at the other end. Brighton’s only two points from 27 at the Etihad as a Premier League side came on their last two league visits, both draws, so they have stopped being a soft afternoon even here.
Ten of the last 12 meetings in all competitions have seen both sides score, and that is before you look at this season’s form. Brighton arrive as the league’s top scorers with 23 goals, while City have conceded 11 in their last five games in all competitions, a worry we went through in our preview of this game.
The milestones he would much rather talk about
There are far better numbers within reach this afternoon. Scoring would make it eight Premier League games in a row for Haaland, beating the seven-game run from his first year at City. Jamie Vardy’s 11 from 2015 is still some way off.
It would also take him into double figures in the league, on top of the nine he has from eight matches. That has him three clear of Alexander Isak (six) at the top of the scoring charts, and his 13 goals in 11 appearances across all competitions show how quickly the 26-year-old has started.
Then there is the club list. He has 175 goals in 209 games for City, so a brace today would draw him level with Eric Brook on 177, second on the all-time list. Sergio Aguero is top with 260.
What this Man City vs Brighton game means for the table
City lost 2-1 at Aston Villa last weekend, their first league defeat of the season, and sit top only on goal difference from Arsenal. Beat third-placed Brighton and they go three points clear before the Gunners travel to Liverpool on Sunday.
There is some needle in it too. Fabian Hurzeler said City “had the luck” on Wednesday and that winning this one would be the best revenge, though Maresca refused to bite on Friday. City will not play at home again for three weeks, with an away game next Saturday and then the international break.
Your questions on the record answered
What record could Erling Haaland set against Brighton?
If he scores and Man City draw or lose, he becomes the first player in Premier League history to score in five successive games against a single opponent and fail to win any of them.
How many goals has Erling Haaland scored against Brighton?
He has seven goals in seven Premier League appearances against Brighton, and he has scored in all four of his home games against them.
Is Erling Haaland starting for Man City vs Brighton today?
Yes. He was rested for Wednesday’s cup tie and is named in the starting XI for the 3pm kick-off at the Etihad.
How far is Erling Haaland from Eric Brook’s Man City goal tally?
Two goals. Haaland has 175 in 209 games for the club and Brook, second on the all-time list, has 177. Sergio Aguero is top with 260.
Verdict: one goal will not be enough for City’s No.9
We expect Haaland to score, because he nearly always does in this fixture. The real question sits behind him. With Khusanov picked ahead of Guehi and Donnarumma back in goal, City’s defence has to do what it has not managed lately and keep a team this dangerous quiet for 90 minutes.
Do that and this record stays a pub quiz answer. Do not, and the best striker in the league could find himself alone in the history books after another afternoon when his goal was not enough.
