Brentford vs Manchester City: Preview and Prediction
Premier League champions Manchester City will conclude their season with an away trip to face Brentford at the Gtech Community Stadium on Sunday.
While City has already secured the title, Brentford still holds a mathematical chance of qualifying for the Europa Conference League, but they need a win against City and hope both Tottenham and Aston Villa drop points in their respective matches against Leeds and Brighton.
In their midweek fixture, Manchester City was held to a 1-1 draw by Brighton & Hove Albion, while Brentford showcased their resilience by coming from behind to defeat Tottenham Hotspur 3-1.
As Manchester City’s focus may already be on the upcoming FA Cup and Champions League finals in June, Brentford will seize the opportunity to strive for a famous double against the champions.
Current Form
Brentford faced a big setback with the news of Ivan Toney’s eight-month suspension for breaching the FA’s betting rules. However, Bryan Mbeumo and Yoane Wissa stepped up admirably in Toney’s absence, ensuring a successful performance against Spurs.
They currently sit one point behind Tottenham and two points behind Aston Villa, with both teams having an inferior goal difference. Brentford must defeat Manchester City and hope for favorable results from the other matches to secure European football for the next season.
Brentford’s recent form has been impressive, with four wins in their last five matches. They have been formidable at home, losing only twice this season, with Arsenal and Newcastle United being the only teams to emerge victorious at the Gtech Community Stadium.
Meanwhile, Pep Guardiola and Co, despite celebrating their title triumph, will be determined to maintain their unbeaten streak, which currently stands at 25 matches in all competitions. Moreover, City has emerged victorious in each of its last six final-day encounters.
However, the Champions will not make the mistake of taking Brentford lightly, considering the Bees were the only team to beat the Cityzens at the Etihad Stadium this season.
Head to Head Record
In terms of head-to-head history and results, Manchester City holds the advantage over Brentford with 9 wins compared to Brentford’s 6 victories. There has been one draw between the two teams.
These statistics indicate how dominant Manchester City has been in their previous encounters. However, with Brentford having secured a notable win over City earlier in the season, they will be hoping to add to their tally and further narrow the gap in their head-to-head record.
Team News
Pep is likely to rest his key players for their final league game
Ivan Toney continues to serve his suspension, while Pontus Jansson, Keane Lewis-Potter, and Christian Norgaard will also be unavailable due to injury.
Although Frank Onyeka was substituted at halftime in the previous match, he is still likely to be favoured over Mikkel Damsgaard in the midfield. Meanwhile, Bryan Mbeumo, Yoane Wissa, and Kevin Schade are expected to start for Brentford once again.
Manchester City are likely to rest their key players for their last league match as they wouldn’t want to take any risk with FA Cup final and Champions League final just a few weeks away. Nathan Ake is currently in the advanced stages of his injury recovery and is likely to be kept on the sidelines.
John Stones, who had to be substituted due to a potential muscle injury during the Brighton match, is also likely to watch the game from the sidelines.
Jack Grealish, Ruben Dias, Aymeric Laporte, and Manuel Akanji were all absent from the squad due to a niggle. Given the relatively low stakes of this match, it is improbable that any of them will be involved. While Phil Foden suffered a minor injury in the midweek fixture, he was seen practising with the squad and will be available for selection.
Predicted Starting XIs
Brentford (4-3-3): David Raya; Aaron Hickey, Ben Mee, Ethan Pinnock, Rico Henry; Mathias Jensen, Vitaly Janelt, Frank Onyeka; Bryan Mbeumo, Yoane Wissa, Kevin Schade
Manchester City (4-3-3): Stefan Ortega; Kyle Walker, Aymeric Laporte, Sergio Gomez, Rico Lewis; Bernardo Silva, Kalvin Phillips, Kevin De Bruyne; Riyad Mahrez, Julian Alvarez, Phil Foden
Prediction
Brentford will certainly adopt an attacking approach against Manchester City, aiming to secure the three points they desperately need to maintain hopes of qualifying for the Conference League.
Considering that Manchester City might have shifted their focus to the upcoming finals, it wouldn’t be surprising if Brentford manages to achieve a positive result in this encounter. If Brentford manages to take an early lead, they could potentially emerge victorious in this game.
