Man City Aims to Secure Second Victory Against Brentford and Surpass Arsenal
Manchester City will be looking to secure their second victory against Brentford tonight as they aim to surpass Arsenal in the Premier League standings. The match, which was initially scheduled for December 23, was postponed due to City’s participation in the Club World Cup. Now, Pep Guardiola’s side will be eager to return to winning ways after their recent draw against Chelsea ended their winning streak.
Brentford, on the other hand, have been struggling for form, winning just two of their last ten league games. However, since Ivan Toney’s return from a ban, the team has shown signs of improvement and is starting to look more dangerous. Despite their recent struggles, Brentford did manage to beat City 2-1 in this exact fixture last season, and they will be hoping to become only the second team to win consecutive away league games against a side managed by Guardiola.
City’s draw against Chelsea opened the door for their title rivals, Arsenal and Liverpool, to close the gap. Arsenal smashed Burnley 5-0 over the weekend, while Liverpool beat Brentford 4-1 away from home. These results leave City in third place, albeit with a game in hand. It is clear that this Premier League title race is going all the way, with City, Arsenal, and Liverpool all in contention. City will need to put together a long winning run to stay ahead of their rivals.
In terms of head-to-head records, Manchester City have won six of their eight home games against Brentford in all competitions. However, Brentford did manage to beat City 2-1 in this exact fixture last season, and they will be looking to replicate that success. In fact, no team has won consecutive away league games against a side managed by Guardiola since Manchester United did it in the 2019-20/2020-21 seasons.
In terms of team news, Manchester City have a couple of injury concerns with Josko Gvardiol and Jack Grealish. Gvardiol is out with an ankle ligament problem, while Grealish has a groin issue picked up in the Champions League. However, Bernardo Silva and John Stones should be fit to start after being on the bench at the weekend. Brentford, on the other hand, have several long-term absentees, including Rico Henry and Ethan Pinnock.
When it comes to home form, Manchester City are unbeaten in their last 47 midweek games at the Etihad Stadium in the Premier League. They have won 26 of their last 27 such fixtures, including their last 12 in a row. Brentford, on the other hand, have struggled away from home this season, losing seven of their 11 Premier League away games. However, they did manage to win their most recent away game 2-0 against Wolves.
In terms of what has been said, Guardiola has praised Brentford’s strike partnership of Ivan Toney and Neal Maupay. He described Toney as “so dangerous” and praised his ability to use his body for the second ball. Guardiola also acknowledged Maupay’s quality as a football player and expressed his belief that any flashpoints between the players are not intentional.
Looking at the statistics, Brentford have lost 10 of their last 13 Premier League games and have conceded 29 goals in this period. On the other hand, Manchester City have fallen behind in 11 of their 24 Premier League games this season but have recovered 18 points from losing positions.
The match between Manchester City and Brentford is scheduled for Tuesday, February 20, with kick-off at 7:30pm. talkSPORT will provide live and exclusive coverage, with Adrian Durham as the host and commentary from Sam Matterface and former City manager Stuart Pearce. Fans can also follow the live blog on talkSPORT.com or tune in through the talkSPORT app, DAB digital radio, smart speakers, or AM frequencies.
With the Premier League title race heating up and both teams eager for a victory, this clash between Manchester City and Brentford promises to be an exciting and closely contested match.