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The Premier League is back and Man City face tough test against Brighton
Loss for City and a draw for Brighton are the most recent results as Chelsea will be without striker Armando Broja for game with Arsenal
Arsenal's Gabriel challenges Manchester City's Erling Haaland in a Premier League match. - Reuters File
Manchester City's players returned fit from the international break and now face one of their "toughest tests" in the Premier League this season with the visit of Brighton & Hove Albion this weekend, manager Pep Guardiola said on Friday.
The treble winners had 17 players away with their countries but Guardiola said on Friday that "everyone is fit except Kevin" De Bruyne, who is recovering from a hamstring surgery.
City will look to right the ship after back-to-back league losses before the break left third in the standings. A defeat on Saturday would be only the second time Guardiola will have lost three games in a row in his managerial career.
The Spaniard had high praise for Brighton's Italian manager Roberto De Zerbi, who is tipped by many as Guardiola's eventual replacement at City. De Zerbi's side are two points shy of City in sixth and can leapfrog them with a victory.
"I admire (De Zerbi) for the fact that it doesn't matter for the team he plays," Guardiola said. "He's proving you don't need to be at top clubs where you can get the team to play the way you want.
"He is converting Brighton into a top club. I enjoy watching Roberto De Zerbi's teams play. Brighton will be one of the toughest test we will have this season."
Guardiola's only three consecutive league losses were in 2015 with Bayern Munich.
The Spaniard also told reporters City's striker Erling Haaland should win the 2023 Ballon d'Or. The Norwegian, one of 30 candidates for the award, scored 52 goals in 53 games to help City capture the treble last season.
"So, Haaland should win, yes," Guardiola said. "We won the treble and he scored 50 million goals."
Haaland's biggest challenge will come from seven-time Ballon d'Or winner and Inter Miami forward Lionel Messi, who led Argentina to victory at the 2022 World Cup.
"The Ballon d'Or has to be two sections. One for Messi, and (a second category) for the others," Guardiola said. "The worst, the worst, the worst season of Messi is the best for the rest.
"Both (Messi and Haaland) deserve it."
City's 23-year-old scoring machine Haaland has netted eight goals in 12 games this season. (Reporting by Lori Ewing; Editing by Ken Ferris)
Meanwhile, Chelsea will be without striker Armando Broja for their Premier League home game with Arsenal this weekend after the Albanian picked up an injury on international duty, manager Mauricio Pochettino said on Friday.
Chelsea have suffered a string of injuries this season, and Broja returned to Stamford Bridge before his country's win over Bulgaria in a friendly in Tirana on Tuesday.
"Broja is out, he has a bit of irritation on the knee but it's the other knee, not the one that was a problem in the past," Pochettino told reporters.
"We have a few players we have to assess to see if they will be available or not tomorrow. (Defender) Benoit Badiashile could be available also on the bench."
Fullback Reece James has been out since picking up a hamstring injury on the opening day of the season and the coach is not ruling out a return for Saturday's game with Arsenal.
Victor Lindelof is available for Manchester United on Saturday even though he is "exhausted" following the fatal shooting of two Swedish fans before the country's Euro 2024 qualifier against Belgium.
Monday's attack in Brussels was carried out by an Islamist gunman who was subsequently killed by police.
The match went ahead as scheduled before being abandoned at the request of the two teams at half-time with the score at 1-1.
European football's governing body UEFA on Thursday said the game would not be replayed and the points would be shared.
Premier League fixtures for this weekend
Saturday, October 21 fixtures (BST/GMT)
Liverpool v Everton (1230/1130) AFC Bournemouth v Wolverhampton Wanderers (1500/1400) Brentford v Burnley (1500/1400) Manchester City v Brighton & Hove Albion (1500/1400) Newcastle United v Crystal Palace (1500/1400) Nottingham Forest v Luton Town (1500/1400) Chelsea v Arsenal (1730/1630) Sheffield United v Manchester United (2000/1900)
Sunday, October 22 fixtures (BST/GMT)
Aston Villa v West Ham United (1630/1530) Monday, October 23 fixtures (BST/GMT) Tottenham Hotspur v Fulham (2000/1900)
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