Brentford vs Manchester City Prediction And Betting Tips

Champions Manchester City travel to the Gtech Community Stadium to take on Brentford, hoping to close the gap on league leaders Liverpool.

• Manchester City to win @ 2/5 with Bet365
• Both Teams to Score @ 8/11 with Bet365
• Over 3.5 goals @ 11/8 with William Hill

These odds are correct at the time of publication and are subject to change.

• Date: 05/02/24
• Kick-off time: 20:00
• Venue: Gtech Community Stadium

Brentford host Pep Guardiola and Manchester City in a game which is hugely important at both ends of the table.

City sit second in the league, trailing Liverpool by five points, though they do have a game in hand. Victory would see them close the gap to two points, depending on the results of the midweek fixtures, and with Liverpool taking on Arsenal at the weekend. A loss or draw would open the door for the Gunners to overtake them.

The Bees, in contrast, have endured an underwhelming season so far, cautiously looking over their shoulders as they are just six points above the relegation zone. They faced Nottingham Forest in a massive clash in their last Premier League game, and a 3-2 win helped them leapfrog their opponents into 14th place.

Both sides have welcomed back key players in recent weeks, individuals that will provide the difference in many games for the rest of the season. Man City were given a huge boost when Kevin De Bruyne made his return to the team after being sidelined with a hamstring injury since August. Similarly, Brentford were delighted to include Ivan Toney in the lineup again for his first appearance of the campaign following an eight-month ban. Toney marked his return with a goal in the victory over Nottingham Forest last week. De Bruyne played a huge role in Man City’s comeback win at Newcastle in their last Premier League outing.

As well as De Bruyne, there are a number of other players Brentford will have to be aware of to slow down the league’s most dangerous attack. Whilst Erling Haaland’s involvement remains to be seen, the likes of Julian Alvarez, Phil Foden, Bernardo Silva and Jeremy Doku can all score at any given time, just to name a few. The hosts have been letting in goals for fun in recent weeks, with 15 goals conceded in their last six games in all competitions. That will have to change if they are to get anything from this game.

This will be the first meeting between the two teams this season, as the fixture at the Etihad was rearranged to accommodate City’s participation in the Club World Cup. Since Brentford’s promotion in 2021, the clubs have faced off four times. After losing the first two games, the Bees have incredibly got the better of their opponents on the two occasions since, which included the league double over them last season. Thomas Frank’s side won 1-0 in the final game of the campaign, thanks to a late goal from Ethan Pinnock, though City had already wrapped up the title by this time. Toney scored a 90th-minute winner in the reverse fixture to seal all three points at the Etihad.

Brentford Team News

Yoanne Wissa, Frank Onyeka and Saman Ghoddos are all away at the Africa Cup of Nations, whilst Bryan Mbeumo is out until late March. Christian Norgaard, Rico Henry and Aaron Hickey remain out.

Manchester City Team News

Pep Guardiola should have a fully fit squad to choose from, as long as there are no setbacks throughout the week. In what will be a huge boost, Erling Haaland could return as soon as midweek and Manuel Akanji also seems to have recovered from his injury.

Brentford Form Guide:

In their last five games, Brentford have won once, drawn once and lost three games. Brentford had been in the midst of a five-game losing streak in the Premier League before they beat Nottingham Forest 3-2 at home in their most recent fixture. In this game they were given the huge boost of welcoming back striker Ivan Toney after his suspension, and he quickly picked up where he left off, scoring the equaliser after Danilo’s very early opener. They took the lead through Ben Mee before they were pegged back, but the game wasn’t level for long as Neal Maupay scored the winner to give the Bees a much-needed three points.

They were nervously looking over their shoulders due to not picking up a win in the league since the beginning of December. This included a heavy 4-1 loss at home to Wolves, which preceded a 3-1 defeat away at Crystal Palace. Their woes continued in the FA Cup as they faced Wolves twice more, first a 1-1 draw at home, then a trip to Molineux in a replay. They were devastatingly knocked out in extra-time as they lost 3-2.

With a trip to Tottenham in midweek to come, Brentford will hope to carry the momentum gained from the Forest win into this one before they take on Man City at the weekend.

Man City Form Guide:

In their last five games, Man City have won all of them. After a brief blip in December, the Premier League champions are back to themselves, no doubt boosted by the return of Kevin De Bruyne. This stretch of games started with a trip to Goodison Park to take on Everton in a tricky atmosphere, but they comfortably passed the test, beating the Toffees 3-1 with goals from Phil Foden, Julian Alvarez and Bernardo Silva, after they fell behind in the first half.

Their dominance was on display in the following game against Sheffield United, though they had only two goals to show for their whopping 81% possession. Rodri and Alvarez were on the scoresheet that afternoon.

Huddersfield were City’s FA Cup third-round opponents as they began the defence of their title. The Championship side were swept away 5-0 and were restricted to just 16% of the ball. This victory rewarded them with a trip to Tottenham, a ground they have famously struggled at in recent years. However, they came out on top against their fellow top-six rivals in a somewhat controversial fashion, as Nathan Ake bundled home an 88th-minute winner to send his side into the fifth round.

Prior to the tie against Spurs, City faced Newcastle at St James’ Park in their most recent Premier League outing. After going a goal up through Silva, the Magpies scored two in as many minutes to flip the game on its head. With his side facing the prospect of losing ground in the title race, Pep Guardiola introduced De Bruyne and the Belgian responded with a goal and assist, the latter an exquisite ball over the top to find fellow substitute Oscar Bobb to net the winner in the 91st minute.

City will face Burnley at home in midweek before they travel to Brentford at the weekend.

The return of Kevin De Bruyne means that Man City’s attack is as dangerous as it has been all season, whilst Brentford have mightily struggled at the back. The firepower of Ivan Toney may get his side on the scoresheet, but they will have a hard afternoon trying to contain City’s frontline. We predict: Brentford 1-3 Manchester City

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Brentford vs Manchester City is available to watch on Sky Sports Main Event.

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