Man City vs Brighton predicted lineups: Coffey out, Fowler and Shaw available

Sam Coffey is unavailable for Manchester City’s meeting with Brighton, but Mary Fowler and Khadija Shaw are available as Andrée Jeglertz considers his midfield and attacking combinations.

The WSL fixture takes place at Joie Stadium on Sunday 18 October 2026, kicking off at 2.30pm BST.

City team news: Coffey out and Knaak returns

In City’s official fitness update, Jeglertz confirmed Coffey would miss the match. Rebecca Knaak is available again, while Fowler and Shaw can also be selected.

Vivianne Miedema has not returned to team training following her knee problem. Sydney Lohmann and Risa Shimizu are progressing but are not treated as available in this prediction.

Grace Clinton is our choice alongside Yui Hasegawa, with Fowler selected behind Shaw.

Brighton team news and predicted approach

Brighton’s provisional XI retains the players who started their last league meeting with Charlton, as listed in the match team sheet.

A comprehensive fresh Brighton injury bulletin was not available at the time of writing. The prediction assumes continuity, subject to the club’s final fitness checks and any tactical changes.

Manchester City vs Brighton predicted lineups

Manchester City predicted XI (4-2-3-1): Yamashita; Casparij, Rose, Greenwood, Charles; Hasegawa, Clinton; Fujino, Fowler, Hemp; Shaw.

Brighton predicted XI (3-4-2-1): Nnadozie; Hayes, George, Vanegas; Seike, Wälti, Symonds, García; Kirby, Čanković; Tvedten.

The selection decisions to watch

Knaak’s return gives City another defensive option, while Beth Mead could come into the attacking line. Our prediction prioritises Fowler’s link play behind Shaw. Brighton’s selected attacking midfielders, Fran Kirby and Jelena Čanković, would need to make the most of opportunities to play beyond City’s midfield.

These are our predicted teams, not confirmed starting lineups. Fitness assessments, international workloads and tactical decisions can change the selections before kick-off.

The match is live in the UK on BBC Two, with online coverage through BBC iPlayer and the BBC Sport website. See our football on TV guide and women’s football section for more coverage.