The wealthy visiting the homeless would normally be a tale to warm the heart, but the Carling Cup second-round tie between Brighton & Hove Albion and Manchester City at the Withdean Stadium this evening is unlikely to have a happy ending for the have-nots as they take on the haves.

The richest club in the nation are hosted by a team whose cramped and temporary rented accommodation will allow them to do little more than break even financially, while the result looks a foregone conclusion. At the weekend City thrashed Portsmouth 6-0, while Brighton managed to lose their Coca-Cola League One match at home to Walsall 1-0, with their opponents playing nearly an hour of the match with only nine men.

City are expected to give outings to squad players, sparing Robinho the shock of playing his first away match for City at the converted athletics track at the Withdean, where the costs of rental and laying on transport will eat up any profits even on this evening's sell-out crowd.

“The contrast between the clubs has been put into even greater relief since the draw was made,” Martin Perry, the Brighton chief executive, said. “One is a situation of great wealth, one is a situation of great passion - although, of course, there is great passion among the City fans. They have suffered in their way and things are coming round for us now that our new stadium is beginning to be sorted out.”

Might City offer to waive their share of the gate? “It would be a great gesture, but we're not talking about huge sums of money, and, anyway, it's a game for the fans,” Perry said.

And the players. “It's a challenge and one we've got to be excited by,” Micky Adams, the Brighton manager, said. “It is an opportunity for my players to show what they are made of.”