Brighton vs Man City LIVE: Premier League team news as Kevin De Bruyne and Phil Foden start for visitors

The teams are out on the field and the pyrotechnics are going off around the ground, the last of the midweek Premier League fixtures is about to kick off.

The match will kick off in less than five minutes’ time

“I’ve worked in football for 30 years and I know if you’re playing well and if you’re doing well, the people speak about you and speak about the transfer market,” the Brighton manager said.

“I have the right experience to stay focused and to keep my eye only on Brighton. I have a contract and I love my players.

“For sure, we have to speak about the plan going forward because I work for the motivation.

“I’ve not spoken with Tony Bloom about the next target and the new plan, but in the next few days we will speak.”

“We have had a lot of problems with important players with injuries, but we are still there,” the Man City boss said.

“We are in the final of the FA Cup, we made the latter stages of the Champions League and in the Premier League we are there.

“But you can arrive to the end like this and in one week lose all titles, but the team have behaved unbelievably this season again.

“Every game is important now as every mistake and setback is difficult. But we have been here many times so we know what we are playing for.”

Here are some photos of the players warming up:

“Brighton away, if you put it in my calendar, is one of the toughest ones for the way we play,” says Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola, reported by BBC Sport

“[It gets] harder. My admiration is growing every season. They’ve had a lot of problems, important players were sold like [loanee Levi] Colwill, [Moises] Caicedo, [Alexis] Mac Allister. They were really important players.

“They have a lot of injuries and play three competitions, but the way they play is always there. He is doing an incredible job at Brighton.”

There is less than half an hour to go until kick off on the south coast, and Brighton will want to show the form they started the season with, however the defending champions will be difficult to beat.

Man City go into the match four points behind top-placed Arsenal but having played two games left, and if they can win all their remaining matches they will finish the season top of the Premier League.

Guardiola said in his pre-match press conference: “We played a lot of games. Madrid was really intense for many things, we were out of the Champions League having done really well and after two or three days we were tired. Not just in the legs, more complaining they were tired here (in the head).

“People sitting in chairs say, ‘Ah, I complain’. But I defend my players, I know what I’m talking about much, much better than the people outside. That’s why I say I’m really impressed, but all the time I’m thinking, ‘They will fall down’. This time (I thought) it would not be possible and still they make it possible.

“That’s why when I reflect on my period here I will always admire these type of players for many years still for finding a way to still be in. This is unbelievable.”

Pep Guardiola has marvelled at the mental strength of his Manchester City squad, praising their refusal to “fall down” despite a gruelling schedule.

Thursday’s Premier League trip to Brighton will be their 53rd match of a season which started with the Community Shield on August 6 and has included the European Super Cup against Sevilla, the Club World Cup in Saudi Arabia and a run to the FA Cup final next month.

Last week they bowed out of the Champions League in a draining quarter-final penalty shootout against Real Madrid, but Guardiola is full of pride for the way his side have stayed up for the three-way title fight with Arsenal and Liverpool.

“The human being does not have no limits, science says you need a certain time to recover many things, not just physically – mentally as well,” he said.

Here are some photos of the teams arriving at the stadium: