---
title: "Haaland among five Man City stars to miss Brighton Carabao Cup tie"
canonical: "https://readmancity.com/2026/10/27/erling-haaland-five-man-city-players-miss-brighton-carabao-cup/"
type: "post"
language: "en-GB"
author: "Gary Gowers"
section: "Man City News"
published: "2026-10-27T14:18:06Z"
modified: "2026-10-27T14:33:03Z"
---

# Haaland among five Man City stars to miss Brighton Carabao Cup tie

**Erling Haaland is among five senior [City](https://readmancity.com/) players set to miss Wednesday’s Carabao Cup fourth-round tie against Brighton after being given time off by Enzo Maresca.**

Haaland, Rúben Dias, Joško Gvardiol, Elliot Anderson and Gianluigi Donnarumma were all handed three days away from the club following Saturday’s 2-1 Premier League defeat at Aston Villa.

## Maresca set to make Man City changes

Speaking ahead of the [Brighton tie](https://readmancity.com/2026/10/26/man-city-brighton-carabao-cup-tv-channel-how-to-watch/), Maresca confirmed the five players had been allowed to rest as City manage a demanding run of fixtures.

“After Villa, we gave five players three days off. Erling, Elliot, Gigio, Ruben and Josko,” Maresca told the [club’s official website](https://www.mancity.com/news/mens/enzo-maresca-manchester-city-v-brighton-team-news-63928692). “Go away on holiday. Three days off, go, come back. Full energy.”

The decision means City will be without several regular starters at the Etihad, although Maresca has options available across the squad. Gerónimo Rulli has already been confirmed to start in goal in place of Donnarumma, having kept a clean sheet on his debut in the 5-0 third-round victory over Norwich.

Nunes is also set to be unavailable, with Maresca confirming the Portugal international remains injured. His absence could create another opportunity for Rico Lewis, who replaced Marc Guéhi at half-time against Villa and can operate at either full-back or in midfield.

There could also be opportunities elsewhere. Ayyoub Bouaddi is among the midfield options with Anderson absent, while Marc Guéhi, Vitor Reis and Abdukodir Khusanov offer alternatives in defence. Seventeen-year-old Floyd Samba, who scored twice against Norwich, could also come into consideration with Haaland rested.

City face Brighton twice in four days, with Fabian Hürzeler’s side returning to the Etihad in the Premier League on Saturday. Maresca said the short turnaround meant changes would be necessary, with Wednesday’s cup tie offering him a chance to use the depth of his squad before attention quickly returns to the league.

***For all the latest Manchester City news, reaction and analysis, visit our** [**Man City news page**](https://readmancity.com/news/)**.***