City's Carabao Cup Defence Continues Against Brighton
Manchester City's defence of the Carabao Cup continues on Wednesday night with a home tie against Brighton, and Enzo Maresca's side will expect a far stiffer test than the one they passed with ease in the previous round.
That 5-0 win over Norwich was a night for the academy graduates, with Floyd Samba helping himself to a brace and Rayan Cherki, Allan and Ryan McAidoo also finding the net. A youthful City side made light work of it. Brighton, you suspect, will not be quite so accommodating.
The Seagulls arrive at the Etihad having already claimed a notable scalp in this competition, fighting back from 2-0 down to win at Old Trafford in round three. That result earned Fabian Hürzeler's team another trip to Manchester, and it is their second visit to the Etihad in four days.
Brighton's weekend outing ended in defeat at Anfield, their first of the season, so they will be keen to respond. City, for their part, have failed to win any of their last four meetings with Brighton — a statistic that adds a little edge to what might otherwise look a routine cup tie.
The match kicks off at 7:30pm GMT. In the UK, it is available via Sky Sports+, SkyGo and NOW TV. In the United States, CBS hold the EFL Cup rights and fans can watch on Paramount+. Because the clocks have changed in Europe but not yet in the United States, the kick-off is 3:30pm Eastern Time and 12:30pm Pacific Time.
For those keeping an eye on the rest of the evening's action, Everton vs Newcastle United kicks off at 7:45pm and is available on Sky Sports+ and Paramount+.
City, of course, are the holders. Maresca will be hoping his mix of youth and experience can navigate a tricky-looking tie and keep the defence of their trophy on track.