Manchester City will look to continue their upturn in form when they face Brentford away in the Premier League on Tuesday evening.
City’s remarkable slump to the end of 2024 has been offset by three straight wins, although Pep Guardiola’s side are likely fighting for a place in the top four rather than the league title. Back-to-back wins over Leicester and a West Ham side that sacked their manager days after defeat also hardly point to a major revival.
However, they were completely ruthless at the weekend as they scored eight goals against League Two Salford in the third round of the FA Cup.
Brentford only have the Premier League to worry about in the second half of the season after they were stunned by Plymouth in west London on Saturday. Thomas Frank’s strong rotation has cost the Bees in both domestic cup competitions, but perhaps the Dane’s focus is on giving Brentford their first taste of European football.
However, they currently sit in 11th place after having a tough few weeks. Tuesday’s hosts are currently seven points behind sixth-placed Cityzens after losing three of their last five league games.
Here is 90 minutes Guide to Brentford vs Man City.
Brentford vs Man City head-to-head record
Current form (all competitions)
Brentford | Man City |
|---|---|
Brentford 0-1 Plymouth – 01/11/25 | Man City 8-0 Salford – 11/01/25 |
Southampton 0-5 Brentford – 01/04/25 | Man City 4-1 West Ham – 01/04/25 |
Brentford 1-3 Arsenal – 01/01/25 | Leicester 0-2 Man City – 12/29/24 |
Brighton 0-0 Brighton – 12/27/24 | Man City 1-1 Everton – 12/26/24 |
Brentford 0-2 Nottingham Forest – 22/12/24 | Aston Villa 2-1 Man City – 12/21/24 |
country | TV channel/live stream |
|---|---|
United Kingdom | Discovery+, Discovery+ App, TNT Sports 2 |
United States | peacock |
Canada | fuboTV Canada, Fubo Sports Network 5 Canada |
Brentford’s loss of form is due to their long injury list, which won’t get any shorter between now and City’s visit.
Josh Dasilva, Ethan Pinnock, Kristoffer Ajer, Ben Mee, Aaron Hickey, Igor Thiago, Gustavo Nunes and Ryan Trevitt are all out injured for the hosts.
Frank dropped Yoane Wissa and Bryan Mbeumo for Saturday’s FA Cup defeat, but the pair entered the fray to salvage the tie. Both will start on Tuesday alongside the fast Kevin Schade.
Rico Henry also made his long-awaited return to action at the weekend and was included in the manager’s eleven, but will drop to the bench in midweek as Keane Lewis-Potter starts at left-back.
Predicted line-up for Brentford vs Man City (4-3-3): spots; Roerslev, Van den Berg, Collins, Lewis-Potter; Norgaard, Janelt, Damsgaard; Mbeumo, Wissa, what a shame.
Kyle Walker’s desire for a new challenge means he is unlikely to be involved until his future is sorted out, with interest coming from Milan. The experienced defender was completely missing from the squad at the weekend.
Guardiola needs to bring back several big names to his squad, although James McAtee secured his claim to Premier League minutes with a hat-trick against Salford.
Oscar Bobb is back in training and close to returning but will not play a role in west London while City are still without Rodri, Ruben Dias and John Stones.
Predicted Man City line-up against Brentford (4-1-4-1): Ortega; Lewis, Akanji, Ake, Gvardiol; Kovacic; Savinho, De Bruyne, Foden, Doku; Haaland.
Brentford’s home form was key to their success at the start of the season, but they have lost their last three games at the Gtech in all competitions. So Tuesday’s journey may not be as daunting for City as it was a month ago.
Although City showed ruthless efficiency at the weekend, their recent wins in the Premier League hardly suggest that this is a team capable of winning. They have weaknesses that Brentford’s competent front line can exploit and the hosts should thrive under the lights.
However, the injury-plagued Bees are low on confidence ahead of Tuesday’s game. Against teams like City they tend to give up too much control and are vulnerable to opposition attacks. Sustained pressure will prove crucial to a City win here.