Manchester City will be looking to strengthen their grip at the top of the Premier League table when they lock horns with Brentford this midweek.
Manchester City will aim to be a step closer to retaining their Premier League crown when they welcome Brentford to the Etihad Stadium on Wednesday night.
The reigning champions have opened up a nine-point gap over second-placed Liverpool, who have a game in hand. However, Manchester City look set to be on their way to lifting another title, having not lost in their last ten games in all competitions. They were held to a 1-1 draw by Southampton in their previous league outing, but Pep Guardiola’s side bounced back to winning ways in style, thrashing Fulham 4-1 in the FA Cup.
Brentford are going through a bit of a rough patch, having lost each of their five games in all competitions with an aggregate scoreline of 4-16. The Bees were handed a 4-1 thrashing by Everton in their most recent outing in the FA Cup, while their last league fixture ended in a 2-1 loss to Wolves. Having slipped down to 14th in the table, Thomas Frank’s men need to arrest their downslide or risk getting dragged in the relegation muddle.
The reverse fixture saw Manchester City eke out a narrow 1-0 victory over Brentford courtesy of a first-half strike from Phil Foden. Ahead of their latest meeting on Wednesday night, The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at both teams.
Team News & Tactics
Manchester City
Brentford ? @premierleague action returns tomorrow! ?#ManCity pic.twitter.com/MBSe5QyR5e
— Manchester City (@ManCity) February 8, 2022
Manchester City forward Gabriel Jesus is a doubt for the game due to an injury, while youngster Cole Palmer has been ruled out altogether. Pep Guardiola will not tinker with his tried and tested 4-3-3 formation when Brentford come visiting.
Ederson Moraes is certain to feature between the sticks for the Premier League champions, while Ruben Dias and Aymeric Laporte are pretty much nailed on to start as the centre-backs. There is no looking past Kyle Walker and Joao Cancelo in the full-back slots, with their forward forays likely to play a key role for the hosts while allowing them to keep the Brentford wing-backs pinned back.
Rodri will be tasked with doing the clean-up job in the middle of the park, while the Spanish international will also look to spray forward passes to initiate attacks. Kevin De Bruyne will provide the creative essence for the Cityzens, while Bernardo Silva will make life difficult for the visitors with his energy and industry.
Jack Grealish, who has had an indifferent start to life as a Manchester City player, could be benched by Guardiola. It should lead to Phil Foden being deployed in the false-nine role against Brentford with Raheem Sterling and the in-form Riyad Mahrez flanking the young Englishman.
Probable Lineup (4-3-3): Ederson; Walker, Dias, Laporte, Cancelo; Silva, Rodri, De Bruyne; Mahrez, Foden, Sterling
Brentford
Brentford have welcomed back Bryan Mbeumo and Yoane Wissa after they recovered from Covid-19. January signing Christian Eriksen has started to train with the team but will likely be eased into action. Mathias Jorgensen remains unavailable for selection for the Bees when they travel north to Manchester.
Thomas Frank will set his team up in their usual 3-5-2 formation. David Raya, who returned from injury against Everton, should get the nod in goal despite shipping in four goals in the FA Cup clash. Ethan Pinnock should return to the three-man defensive line, replacing Mads Bech Sorensen, meaning Pontus Jansson and Kristoffer Ajer should hold on to their spots in the starting XI.
After starting as a forward in the cup tie, Sergi Canos should move to his customary right wing-back slot. On the opposite flank, Rico Henry is expected to get the nod, with the pair being the primary source of width in attack for the Bees. However, coming up against the dangerous duo of Walker and Cancelo, their attacking movements may end up getting restricted.
Christian Norgaard will be entrusted with the responsibility of preventing Manchester City’s midfielders from settling into their rhythm. He will have support from Frank Onyeka and Shandon Baptiste, who will also look to push forward when Brentford are in possession. Ivan Toney is a certain starter in attack and could be partnered by the returning Mbeumo at the Etihad.
Probable Lineup (3-5-2): Raya; Ajer, Jansson, Pinnock; Canos, Baptiste, Norgaard, Onyeka, Henry; Mbeumo, Toney
Key Stats
- Since losing 2-0 against Crystal Palace in October, Manchester City have won their last six Premier League home games by an aggregate score of 20-4.
- This is Brentford’s first visit to Manchester City in any competition since October 1989 in the League Cup, when they lost 4-1 at Maine Road.
- Manchester City’s 12-match winning streak in the Premier League was ended by a 1-1 draw at Southampton last time out.
- Brentford have only collected two points from their past seven Premier League away matches.
- Manchester City have won the previous 19 Premier League games in which they took the lead.
Player to Watch
Riyad Mahrez
?? Riyad Mahrez: 21 goal involvements in 25 games this season (15 goals, 6 assists) ?#UCL pic.twitter.com/oavAEPqTnb
— UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) February 7, 2022
Riyad Mahrez missed the last two Premier League games due to his involvement at the Africa Cup of Nations. Upon returning, the 30-year-old wasted no time in making an impact, as he scored twice and set up one more in Manchester City’s FA Cup victory over Fulham.
With 15 goals in 26 matches across all competitions, Mahrez is Manchester City’s leading goalscorer this season, while he also has six assists to his name. He will be hoping to add to his tally against Brentford on Wednesday and help his team strengthen its hold at the top of the Premier League standings.
Prediction
Manchester City 3-0 Brentford
Brentford put up a solid fight the last time they faced Manchester City to restrict them to just one goal. However, they have been leaky at the back leading up to Wednesday’s game, having let in 16 goals in their last five matches in all competitions. The Cityzens have the quality and depth in their attacking unit to pierce through the Bees’ defence with relative ease, having netted ten goals in their last four games.
The Hard Tackle is predicting Pep Guardiola’s side to secure a straightforward victory, extending their lead at the top to 12 points.
