Brentford vs Manchester City

Manchester City’s quest to claw their way back into the Premier League top four continues at the Gtech Community Stadium against out-of-sorts Brentford. 

Brentford’s troubled patch hit a new low at the weekend as Championship basement boys Plymouth Argyle stunned the Bees in FA Cup action (0-1), inflicting their third consecutive defeat at the Gtech Community Stadium. Thomas Frank’s men have only won once in their last seven outings across all competitions (D1, L5) but remain comfortable in the Premier League mid-table. A 5-0 demolition of rock-bottom Southampton in their first away league match of 2025 is the only exception to this rotten run. However, Brentford failed to score more than once in the six other games in that sequence, which has been the case in their last four top-flight meetings with Manchester City (W1, L3), including a 2-1 defeat in September’s reverse fixture at the Etihad Stadium.

Moreover, Brentford’s dismal return of two wins from ten encounters against teams starting the round inside the top ten (D1, L7) hands the Citizens hope they can stay the course after finding a way out of a severe result crisis. Indeed, Pep Guardiola’s men have gone unbeaten in four consecutive matches across all competitions (W3, D1), including an 8-0 thrashing of League Two outfit Salford City in FA Cup action at the weekend. Seeking a fourth consecutive victory for the first time since October, Manchester City hit the road to uphold their unbeaten away record against bottom-ten clubs this season (W3, D1). However, it’s worth noting that before a 2-0 triumph at Leicester City, they had lost four of their five prior Premier League fixtures away from home (D1).