Manchester City are looking to maintain their surge in form when they face Brentford away from home in the Premier League on Tuesday night.
City's remarkable run to the end of 2024 has been followed by three consecutive wins, although Pep Guardiola's side are likely to be fighting for a top-four finish rather than the league title. Back-to-back wins over Leicester and a West Ham side that sacked their manager days after the defeat hardly indicate much of a revival.
They were downright ruthless on the weekend, though, as they said eight behind League Two Salford in the third round of the FA Cup.
Brentford only have the Premier League to worry about during the second half of the season as they were stunned by Plymouth in west London on Saturday. Thomas Frank's heavy rotation has cost the Bees in both domestic cup competitions, but perhaps the Dane's focus is on providing Brentford with their first taste of European football.
They are currently in 11th place, however, having endured a difficult few weeks. Tuesday's hosts are currently seven points behind sixth-placed Cityzens after losing three of their previous five league games.
Here it is 90 minutes guide for brentford vs Man City.
Brentford – Man City head to head record
Current form (all competitions)
|
Brentford |
Man City |
|---|---|
|
Brentford 0-1 Plymouth – 11/01/25 |
Man City 8-0 Salford – 11/01/25 |
|
Southampton 0-5 Brentford – 04/01/25 |
Man City 4-1 West Ham – 04/01/25 |
|
Brentford 1-3 Arsenal – 01/01/25 |
Leicester 0-2 Man City – 29/12/24 |
|
Brighton 0-0 Brighton – 27/12/24 |
Man City 1-1 Everton – 26/12/24 |
|
Brentford 0-2 Nottingham Forest – 22/12/24 |
Aston Villa 2-1 Man City – 21/12/24 |
|
country |
TV channel/live streaming |
|---|---|
|
United Kingdom |
discovery+, discovery+ app, TNT Sports 2 |
|
United States |
peacock |
|
Canada |
fuboTV Canada, Fubo Sports Network 5 Canada |
Brentford's dip in form can be attributed to their long injury list, which will not be shortened in time for City's visit.
Josh Dasilva, Ethan Pinnock, Kristoffer Ajer, Ben Mee, Aaron Hickey, Igor Thiago, Gustavo Nunes and Ryan Trevitt are all injured for the hosts.
Frank dropped Yoane Wissa and Bryan Mbeumo for Saturday FA Cup defeat, but the pair entered the fray in an attempt to save the tie. Both will start Tuesday along with speedster Kevin Schade.
Rico Henry also made his long-awaited return to action at the weekend and was included in the manager's XI, but he will drop to the bench in midweek with Keane Lewis-Potter starting at left-back.
Brentford predicted formation against Man City (4-3-3): Stains; Roerslev, Van den Berg, Collins, Lewis-Potter; Norgaard, Janelt, Damsgaard; Mbeumo, Wissa, Schade.
Kyle Walker's desire for a new challenge meaning he is unlikely to play until his future is sorted, with interest coming from Milan. The veteran defender was out of the squad entirely at the weekend.
Guardiola has some big names to bring back into his XI, although James McAtee disputed his claim of Premier League minutes scoring a hat-trick against Salford.
Oscar Bobb has returned to training and is close to a return but will not play a part in west London, while City are still without Rodri, Ruben Dias and John Stones.
Man City predicted formation against Brentford (4-1-4-1): Ortega; Lewis, Akanji, Ake, Guardiol; Kovacic; Savinho, De Bruyne, Foden, Doku; Haaland.
Brentford's home form was key to their success earlier in the season, but they have lost their last three games at Gtech in all competitions. Thus, Tuesday's trip is perhaps not as daunting for City as it might have felt a month ago.
While City were extremely efficient at the weekend, their recent Premier League wins have not suggested that this is a team capable of getting going. They boast flaws that Brentford's capable front line is capable of exploiting and the hosts should find success under the lights.
However, the injury-hit Bees are fuming and have low confidence heading into Tuesday's game. Against teams like City, they tend to give up too much control and are susceptible to the opposition's volleys. Sustained pressure will be key for City to win here.