Manchester City are gearing up for a three-game road trip starting in London, where they will look to secure a fourth consecutive win in their Premier League clash with Brentford at the Gtech Community Stadium on Tuesday.
Pep Guardiola's team comes into the match on a high after a dominant 8-0 win over Salford City in the FA Cup, while Brentford suffered a shock 1-0 loss to Plymouth Argyle in their own third-round FA Cup fixture.
In terms of recent form, City are in great shape. Their 8-0 victory over Salford City included a hat-trick from James McAtee, two goals from Jeremy Doku, and a debut strike from Divin Mubama. This comprehensive win marked City’s first eight-goal haul in an FA Cup match since 1933, adding to their recent run of good form, including impressive Premier League wins over West Ham and Leicester.
The win against West Ham on January 4 moved City to within two points of the Champions League spots, and while a fifth consecutive league title seems out of reach, they remain in the hunt for a top-four finish if they can continue their usual strong second-half surge. They’ve scored in each of their last seven league games, which bodes well for fans hoping for another exciting match in this fixture.
On the other hand, Brentford are struggling to maintain their home form. After a surprise 5-0 defeat at Southampton in their last league match, they were knocked out of the FA Cup by Plymouth, who scored late to secure the win. The Bees had been one of the top-performing home teams in the league earlier in the season, but that form has waned, and they risk losing three consecutive Premier League home games for only the second time in their history.
In head-to-head terms, City have won their last three league encounters with Brentford, including a 2-1 win in September, where Erling Haaland's two goals overturned an early strike from Yoane Wissa. The last time these two teams met in Brentford, City lost 1-0 on the final day of the 2022-23 season.
With both teams looking to bounce back from recent setbacks, Tuesday’s game promises to be an exciting encounter.
INJURIES&SUSPENSION
Manchester City will be without any of their four injured players—Rodri (ACL), Ruben Dias (calf), Oscar Bobb (leg), and John Stones (foot)—for their trip to Brentford. The match also comes just days after Kyle Walker dropped a bombshell by requesting a transfer abroad, meaning he’s likely played his final game for City. As a result, Walker won’t be involved in the upcoming game.
With Walker out, Rico Lewis will step in at right-back for City. Guardiola is expected to bring back several key players into the starting lineup for the match, likely replacing the FA Cup heroes like McAtee, Doku, and Grealish.
On the Brentford side, their recent dip in form has been compounded by injuries, and they still won't have Josh Dasilva (knee), Ethan Pinnock (thigh), Kristoffer Ajer (ankle), Aaron Hickey (thigh), Igor Thiago (knee), Gustavo Nunes (back), or Ryan Trevitt (Achilles) available. However, Ben Mee is back in the fold.
There was a slight positive for Brentford in their loss to Plymouth, with left-back Rico Henry making his long-awaited return after 16 months out with a serious knee injury. He played just over an hour in that match.
Keane Lewis-Potter, fresh off signing a new contract, should help provide relief for Henry this week, while Brentford’s home specialists, Yoane Wissa and Bryan Mbeumo, will also be back in action. Together, they’ve scored 17 of Brentford’s 27 Premier League home goals this season.
POSSIBLE LINE-UPS
Brentford possible starting lineup:
Flekken; Roerslev, Van den Berg, Collins, Lewis-Potter; Norgaard, Janelt, Damsgaard; Mbeumo, Wissa, Schade
Manchester City possible starting lineup:
Ortega; Lewis, Akanji, Ake, Gvardiol; Kovacic; Foden, Silva, De Bruyne, Savinho; Haaland
EXPERT PREDICTION
Brentford 1-2 Manchester City
Brentford have struggled to hold onto leads this season, with no team in the Premier League losing more games after scoring first (five). Meanwhile, Manchester City have been the best at coming back from behind, winning four times after falling behind—more than any other team in the league.
So, even if Brentford manage to replicate their lightning-fast one-minute goal from the September meeting, the outcome is likely to be the same, with City’s resurgence continuing as they push forward.
