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• Taylor proud of 'gritty' Man City display in Hammarby victory

  Gareth Taylor was pleased with how his Manchester City players handled the atmosphere against Hammarby to secure their passage into the Champions League quarter-finals.

  Khadija Shaw opened the scoring in the 31st minute before Ellen Wangerheim restored parity shortly after the interval with a finish from close range. 

  But Shaw continued her fine start to the campaign, scoring the winner to become City's all-time top scorer in the competition, surpassing Georgia Stanway and Janine Beckie (both six). 

  The result saw City make it to the last eight of the competition for the first time since 2021, though the encounter was far from comfortable at the Tele2 Arena on Thursday. 

  Hammarby ended the contest with an expected goals (xG) total of 2.15 compared to the visitors' 1.07, despite both sides having 14 shots throughout the match. 

  However, City maintained their unbeaten record against Swedish sides in the competitor (W6), and Taylor was proud of his side's "gritty" display in Stockholm. 

  “I’m really pleased. It was about qualification for us tonight," Taylor said. 

  "There were a couple of ways we could do it. Obviously, we knew a point was enough, but I don’t think the players were thinking that way.

  “It was a really gritty performance on a really difficult on this pitch. It probably doesn’t look like that for the viewers at home watching it.

  "But it was a really lively surface and we worked so hard.

  “I felt there were some areas we could control the play better. I have to give credit to Hammarby, they were really aggressive.

  "The referee was on our side a little bit in the first half and maybe not in the second.

  “I’m really pleased and proud of the players, they really dug in tonight. You come away from a hostile environment with a win.”

• Hurzeler: Brighton need to 'work to get momentum' despite Man City win

  Brighton and Hove Albion boss Fabian Hurzeler believes his players need to rebuild their momentum following a two-week break after their 2-1 victory over Manchester City.

  The Seagulls came back from a goal down in dramatic fashion to inflict City's fourth successive defeat in all competitions last time out.

  Though the international break came at a bad time for his in-form team, Hurzeler refused to criticise the schedule ahead of their trip to the Vitality Stadium.

  "You always have to work to get momentum. It's always a new game and no matter if there's a break between games or not, the game starts from zero," he told a pre-match press conference.

  "You have to go into the game and do the things you can influence to the maximum.

  "You can't say 'we won against Manchester City and now the momentum will keep going', it's about fighting for momentum.

  "It's a new game, a different challenge and a really big challenge because Bournemouth are one of the strongest teams at the moment."

  Bournemouth have also beaten City recently, with the Cherries also triumphing over Arsenal and Southampton in their last three home matches.

  "They can play very intense, they run a lot, they have individual quality, they are in good shape. For me at the moment, they're one of the best teams in the league," Hurzeler said of the Cherries.

  Bournemouth manager Andoni Iraola, meanwhile, was keen to stress that his players need to keep their concentration against Brighton. The Cherries were beaten 3-2 away to Brentford last time out, despite having taken the lead twice.

  “You never want to lose the last game before the break because at the end you remember the last feeling. We will remember this week, the actions here against Brentford," he said.

  "We can prepare very well for the game against Brighton, that is going to be also very demanding.”

  PLAYERS TO WATCH

  Bournemouth – Evanilson

  Evanilson has scored four goals for Bournemouth since joining the club in August. He is tied with Antoine Semenyo as the club's top scorer, although his goals have come in one fewer appearance.

  The Brazilian forward has found the net in three successive matches and will become the first Bournemouth player since Callum Wilson in 2019 to score in four straight top-flight games should he do so on Saturday.

  Brighton – Danny Welbeck

  Danny Welbeck is Brighton's leading scorer so far this season, with six league goals – a total that includes three opening goals.

  He has scored two away goals so far in the current campaign, coming on the opening day at Everton and the only goal of the game at Newcastle United last month.

  MATCH PREDICTION: DRAW

  Bournemouth come into this in 12th place in the Premier League on 15 points after 11 matches, having lost 3-2 to Brentford in their most recent game.

  At home, though, they have taken 10 points from five matches (three wins, one draw, one loss) and come into this with three successive victories at the Vitality Stadium. They have never won four Premier League home games in a row.

  Brighton have earned seven points from five away games (two wins, one draw and two losses) and, despite being six places above their hosts in the table, there are just four points between them.

  While Bournemouth have won four of their five Premier League home games against Brighton, Fabian Hurzeler's side come into this in good form having won three of their last five (one draw, one loss) Premier League matches – as many victories as they managed across their previous 16 league games (six draws, seven defeats).

  OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

  Bournemouth – 41.2%

  Draw – 25.1%

  Brighton – 33.7%

• Serie A side Genoa confirm sacking of head coach Gilardino

  Serie A side Genoa have confirmed the departure of their head coach Alberto Gilardino, with Patrick Vieira reportedly on his way in.

  Gilardino, a World Cup winner with Italy in 2006, leaves the club with them sitting just one point above the relegation size with 10 points from 12 matches this season. 

  A former striker who played for clubs including Genoa, Parma, AC Milan and Fiorentina, Gilardino took charge of Genoa in 2022 and helped them earn promotion to the top division before a 11th-place finish during the 2023-24 season. 

  "The club thanks Gilardino for the goals achieved together over the years and wishes him the best for his career," Genoa said in a statement.

  The 42-year-old saw his side salvage a late 1-1 draw against Cesc Fabregas' Como in their last match before the international break. 

  Genoa were also knocked out of the Coppa Italia in the second round following a defeat to Sampdoria on penalties in September. 

  Arsenal legend Vieira is set to replace him, according to multiple reports. 

  The former France midfielder has been out of work since leaving Strasbourg by mutual consent in July.