Manchester City will aim to take a step closer to retaining their Premier League crown when they welcome Brentford to the Etihad Stadium on Wednesday night. Manchester City beat Brentford 1-0 in the reverse fixture, thanks to a first-half goal from Phil Foden.
The champions hold a nine-point advantage over second-placed Liverpool, who have a game in hand. Manchester City, on the other hand, look to be on their way to winning another title and have not lost in their last 10 games in all competitions. Pep Guardiola’s team had been held to a 1-1 draw by Southampton in their previous league match, but they came back in style in the FA Cup, beating Fulham 4-1. City produced a dominant performance against Fulham in the fourth round of the FA Cup in midweek. Riyad Mahrez struck twice, while Ilkay Gundogan and John Stones scored one goal each, as Cityzens beat the Cottagers 4-1.
Manchester City have been ruthless in the final third this season and have a goal tally of 55 goals so far. They are highly dangerous when they have the ball in the final third, and as the above visual suggests, they are a high threat from both flanks. Joao Cancelo has generated the highest xT for the Cityzens. He has five assists to his name in the league and has been a vital part of Pep’s plans this year.
Meanwhile, Brentford are currently 14th in the table, with 23 points from 23 games. They have played more games than all the teams below them and a loss here could see the Bees drop even closer to the relegation zone. They seem to have lost their early-season form and have been struggling in the past few months. Thomas Frank’s men have lost all of their last five games across all competitions. They have one win and seven losses in their last eight Premier League matches. Brentford crashed out of the FA Cup in the fourth round, after a 1-4 defeat against Everton.
The Bees have scored 26 goals so far in the Premier League campaign with an xG of 1.27 per 90 minutes. Brentford have been most threatening from the right flank, as seen in the above visual. Mathias Jensen has created the highest xT for Brentford from his passes as he is assigned to take the corners for his team. He has generated an xT of 3.160 from corners. Sergi Canos has generated the highest xT from open play and has one assist so far for Brentford.
Brentford put up a solid fight the last time they faced Manchester City to restrict them to just one goal. However, they have been leaky at the back leading up to Wednesday’s game, having let in 16 goals in their last five matches in all competitions. The Cityzens have the quality and depth in their attacking unit to pierce through the Bees’ defense with relative ease, having netted ten goals in their last four games.
Manchester City predicted starting lineup:
Ederson; Walker, Dias, Laporte, Cancelo; Silva, Rodri, De Bruyne; Mahrez, Foden, Sterling.
Brentford predicted starting lineup:
Raya; Ajer, Jansson, Pinnock; Canos, Norgaard, Onyeka, Jensen, Henry; Toney, Mbeumo.
