Pep Guardiola will be pleased to have a full squad ahead of their trip to Brentford(Image: Shaun Botterill)

Brentford vs Manchester City prediction, lineups, odds and betting tips

Manchester City can close the gap on Premier League leaders Liverpool to just two points with a win at Brentford on the Monday Night Football

05 Feb 2024, 10:28 by Jack Willis · The Mirror

After failing to maintain their lead against Tottenham last time out, Brentford must now host a City side who appear to be in an outstanding run of form as of late.

Thomas Frank has been unable to get his side to perform consistently this season, leaving them just three points above the relegation zone. However, with two games in hand over 18th placed Everton, they will hope their upcoming fixtures result in some income of points.

Unfortunately for the Bees, the first of these games in hand looks a very tricky task. Pep Guardiola’s side is firing on all cylinders since Kevin de Bruyne and Erling Haaland returned from injury.

This dynamic duo should make life incredibly difficult for the hosts and take full advantage of the poor defensive form for Brentford, who have conceded an average of 1.71 goals per game this season, with this increasing to 1.82 when playing at the Brentford Community Stadium.

Brentford vs Manchester City Prediction

Ironically, Brentford were able to do the double over today’s visitors last season which would imply they may have what it takes to cause an upset. However, the situation has drastically changed now.

With Brentford having failed to keep a clean sheet in 13 games, it’s hard to imagine they will maintain a clean sheet like their last H2H which ended in 1-0 to Brentford.

On the contrary, this seems to be a perfect game for City to score goals. They are joint top goal scorers in the league this season and it could be a long 90 minutes for Thomas Frank’s side.

City are also 2nd placed for corners per game this season. Guardiola’s side average 7.05 corners per game, which is slightly less than Arsenal who average 7.91.

Brentford have conceded 5.48 corners per game, but also accumulated 4.81 corners of their own. These averages propose this game may see a fair few corners.

Brentford vs Manchester City Lineups

How are both teams expected to line up on Monday Night Football? Here are the predicted lineups from WhoScored.com with all the relevant team news.

Brentford Predicted Lineup vs Manchester City

Flekken; Collins, Pinnock, Mee; Roerslev, Jensen, Norgaard, Janelt, Lewis-Potter; Toney, Maupay

Manchester City Predicted Lineup vs Brentford

Ederson; Lewis, Stones, Ake, Gvardiol; Rodri; Foden, Alvarez, De Bruyne, Doku; Haaland

Brentford vs Manchester City Team News

Yoane Wissa, Saman Ghoddos and Frank Onyeka are with their respective national teams.
Rico Henry, Bryan Mbeumo, Aaron Hickey and Kevin Schade are sidelined with injury.
Pep Guardiola has confirmed that he has a full squad available for selection, with Erling Haaland now fully recovered from injury.

Thomas Frank has a long list of absentees ahead of the match against Man City( Image: Getty Images)

Brentford vs Manchester City Odds

Brentford are clear outsiders to win at 7/1 on Ladbrokes. A draw can be backed at 19/5, while Manchester City are the big favourites at 4/11.

Brentford vs Manchester City Tips

Manchester City (-1) Handicap @ Evens on Ladbrokes

Manchester City clearly have what it takes to break down defences and their offensive form is incredibly impressive at the moment. Brentford are hardly defensively sound, so I can see City not only winning, but also winning significantly to hit this mark on Ladbrokes.

Over 10.5 Match Corners @ 6/5 on Paddy Power

The averages all point towards this total being hit for a 6/5 win on Paddy Power. Brentford will certainly chip in to the total. However, City should have the majority of the ball, meaning they will be the main source of corners for this game.

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