Facing the only Premier League team that beat them twice last season, Manchester City heads to the Gtech Community Stadium for a Monday night game against Brentford.
Manchester City easily won against Burnley 3-1 in their recent game, while Brentford couldn’t hold onto an early lead, losing 3-2 to Tottenham Hotspur.
Match preview
At the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, Neal Maupay annoyed Tottenham players and fans by copying James Maddison’s dart-throwing celebration after scoring early. But Tottenham came back to win, making Maupay’s goal less impactful.
Despite this, Brentford couldn’t score again, and the online spat between Maddison and Maupay grabbed more attention than the game, disappointing Ange Postecoglou.
Thomas Frank’s Brentford, after losing to Spurs, faced a tough reality check. They’re near the bottom of the table, 15th, with only a three-point gap above relegation.
Brentford has struggled, winning only once in their last nine games and not keeping a clean sheet since playing Chelsea.
While Brentford struggles, Manchester City is on a winning streak, with eight victories in a row, including beating Vincent Kompany’s Burnley. Julian Alvarez celebrated his 24th birthday by scoring and assisting, contributing to the win.
Manchester City has won eight straight games and remains second in the league.
However, they’ve only kept one clean sheet in their last 11 league matches but have scored at least two goals in each of their last six league games. Guardiola’s team hasn’ t lost on a Monday night under his management.
Brentford managed to beat City twice last season, but Guardiola has never lost three times in a row to the same team.
Brentford Premier League form:
L L L L W L
Brentford form (all competitions):
L L D L W L
Manchester City Premier League form:
W D W W W W
Manchester City form (all competitions):
W W W W W W
Team News
Brentford’s new defender Sergio Reguilon can play after missing the last game, but Aaron Hickey and Rico Henry are injured.
Bryan Mbeumo and Kevin Schade are also out, while Frank Onyeka and Yoane Wissa are at the Africa Cup of Nations. Saman Ghoddos is in the Asian Cup semifinals.
For Manchester City, Manuel Akanji is back from injury. Guardiola might choose between Julian Alvarez and Erling Haaland for the starting spot.
Kyle Walker and Ruben Dias could return to the defense, while Matheus Nunes may keep his midfield position.
Brentford possible starting lineup:
Flekken;
Collins, Mee, Pinnock;
Roerslev, Janelt, Jensen, Norgaard, Reguilon;
Toney, Maupay
Manchester City possible starting lineup:
Ederson;
Walker, Dias, Stones, Ake;
Nunes, Rodri;
Silva, De Bruyne, Foden;
Haaland
Prediction: Brentford 1-3 Manchester City
Even with Brentford’s ability to score at home, they’ve lost many points from winning positions. Against a strong Manchester City team, Brentford’s troubles are likely to continue as City’s winning streak goes on.