Brentford will host Manchester City at the Gtech Community Stadium on Monday, looking to get their season back on track.
Brentford are coming into the game against Manchester City on Monday night on the back of five defeats from their last six league matches. So, the home fans will demand a strong reaction from the players.
The Bees could easily be dragged into the relegation battle if they continue to perform at this level. They cannot afford to slip up anymore, and grinding out a positive result here will be a top priority for them.
Brentford have done well against Manchester City in recent outings, and they have beaten the Premier League champions in the last two meetings. It remains to be seen whether they can grind out all three points here.
Meanwhile, Manchester City are second in the league table, and they will want to close the gap to Liverpool with a victory here. Pep Guardiola’s men are a team in form and are heading into this game on the back of four consecutive league wins. They will be the favourites to pick up all three points.
Team News & Tactics
Brentford
The home team will be without the services of Rico Henry, Bryan Mbeumo, Aaron Hickey, and Kevin Schade. Yoane Wissa, Saman Ghoddos, and Frank Onyeka are currently away on international duty.
Brentford are likely to shape up in a 3-5-2 formation, with Mark Flekken in goal. Nathan Collins will start in the back three along with Ethan Pinnock and Ben Mee. Mads Roerslev and Keane Lewis-Potter will be deployed in in the wing-back positions, and they will look to help out at both ends of the pitch.
In the middle of the park, Mathias Jensen will start alongside Christian Norgaard and Vitaly Janelt. The three players will look to help out defensively and break up opposition attacks. Finally, Neal Maupay will lead the line for Brentford along with Ivan Toney.
Probable Lineup (3-5-2): Flekken; Collins, Pinnock, Mee; Roerslev, Jensen, Norgaard, Janelt, Lewis-Potter; Toney, Maupay
Manchester City
The visitors do not have any injury concerns heading into this game, and they should be able to field a full strength line up. Ederson will start in goal, and Manchester City will shape up in a 4-1-4-1 formation.
Rico Lewis and Josko Gvardiol are likely to start as the full-backs and they will look to keep things compact at the back and help out in the attack. John Stones will start alongside Nathan Ake at the heart of the defence.
Rodri will continue as the defensive midfielder, and he will look to break up opposition attacks and protect the backline. Kevin De Bruyne and Julian Alvarez will start in the attacking midfield roles, and they will look to link up in the final third and create goalscoring opportunities.
Finally, Erling Haaland will lead the line for Manchester City against Brentford after returning from long layoff at long last. Phil Foden and Jeremy Doku will start in the wide areas and support Haaland.
Probable Lineup (4-1-4-1): Ederson; Lewis, Stones, Ake, Gvardiol; Rodri; Foden, Alvarez, De Bruyne, Doku; Haaland
Key Stats
- Manchester City are aiming for a fifth consecutive league win, having won their last eight in all competitions. City have won their last three away games in the Premier League, despite having trailed in each of them.
- Manchester City are unbeaten in all 11 Monday Premier League fixtures under Pep Guardiola (W9, D2).
- Ivan Toney has scored in each of his last four Premier League home appearances.
- Brentford have lost six of their ;ast seven Premier League matches.
- Thomas Frank’s side have not kept a clean sheet in any of their last 11 Premier League games.
Player to Watch
Kevin De Bruyne
The Belgian midfielder missed the first half of the season with a long-term injury. But he is back with a bang. The 32-year-old has chipped in with three assists and a goal in his last four matches, and he will look to make a defining impact in this game as well. He will look to create goalscoring opportunities for his teammates with his vision, execution and incisive passing. He is our key player to watch out for.
Prediction
Brentford 1-2 Manchester City
Although Brentford have done well against Manchester City in their recent meetings, they are going through a rough patch right now and are clearly devoid of form and confidence. Manchester City are in red hot form, and they have the momentum with them as well. The visitors have the better set of players, and they should be able to edge this contest.