After a disappointing Carabao Cup defeat, Brentford will face another stern test when they travel to the Etihad Stadium to take on Manchester City on Saturday afternoon.
Pep Guardiola’s heavily rotated side secured a 2-0 third-round win over a profligate Chelsea side yesterday, and the Spaniard will have his first-teamers refreshed for this weekend’s crunch game.
Two second-half goals from Riyad Mahrez and Julian Alvarez within five minutes was enough to knock out Graham Potter’s side.
City’s comprehensive victory over Chelsea extended their winning streak to four games in a row. They will be looking to make it five when Brentford visit to keep pace with league leaders Arsenal.
The reigning Premier League champions sit two points behind Mikel Arteta’s rejuvenated Gunners, and a win over the Bees will see them temporarily become table toppers.
Thomas Frank would have been disappointed that his full-strength sidecould noto overcome League Two side Gillingham and he will be worried about his side’s chances against City.
The in-form Ivan Toney gave his side an early lead in the third minute, and it looked like the Bees would coast to victory.
However, Mikael Mandron dragged his side back into the game in the 75th minute, and Neil Harris’ sideknockedk the Bees out 6-5 on penalties.
Brentford have not tasted victory since their 2-0 triumph over Brighton & Hove Albion last month and have now gone five games without a win in all competitions (D4, L1).
Seeing as their winless streak has comprised more of draws than losses, Frank will be hoping his side can rally to victory against City and go into the international break with a win.
Match Preview
Manchester City
With the international break looming, Guardiola will want his side to continue their winning streak and keep pace with league leaders, but they will need to achieve a feat they have not done in a long time.
City beat Brentford home and away in the league last season, but they have never won three consecutive league games against the Bees in their last ten meetings.
However, their home form will give them the confidence to go on and make history, having won each of their last 11 league games on home soil, their longest such run since a run of 14 in the 2017/18 campaign.
City have also scored at least twice in their last 15 matches at the Etihad, with only Liverpool having a longer run of scoring 2+ goals at home in the league (16 between February and December 2019).
Brentford
Frank knows his side have it all to do to come away with a positive result against City, seeing as the Etihad has not been a good hunting ground for Brentford, but he will hope to cause a massive upset this weekend.
Brentford have won just one of their five away league games against City. Their last away top-flight triumph over City came in a 2-0 on Christmas Day back in 1937.
Their away form this season also leaves little to be desired as they are one of just four teams yet to win on their travels in the league this season (D4, L3).
Only Aston Villa, Nottingham Forest, and Wolverhampton Wanderers (2 each) have gained fewer points on the road than the Bees (4).
Manchester City vs Brentford Predicted Line-ups
Manchester City (4-3-3): Ederson; Manuel Akanji, Ruben Dias, Aymeric Laporte, Joao Cancelo; Ilkay Gundogan, Rodri, Kevin De Bruyne; Phil Foden, Erling Braut Haaland, Bernardo Silva.
Brentford (4-3-3): David Raya; Rico Henry, Ethan Pinnock, Ben Mee, Mads Roerslev Rasmussen; Joshua Dasilva, Vitaly Janelt, Mathias Jensen; Keane Lewis-Potter, Ivan Toney, Bryan Mbeumo.
How to Watch?
Manchester City vs Brentford, like all Premier League fixtures, is available to watch online via Premier League live streams.
Manchester City vs Brentford Prediction
City will come into this encounter off the back of four wins in a row, and it is hard to envisage a struggling Brentford ending their winning streak.
Manchester City 3-0 Brentford
