Man City vs. Brentford: Preview, Predictions and Lineups

The Cityzens can only close the gap on Arsenal to two points at the top of the Premier League table.

The hosts simply must win to preserve their title hopes. | Visionhaus/Getty Images

Only three points will do for Manchester City when they welcome European hopefuls Brentford to the Etihad Stadium on Saturday afternoon.

The Cityzens had seemingly embarked on yet another imperious run to conclude the Premier League season after the March international break, but their title hopes took a considerable hit out of nowhere on Monday night.

A nightmare 13-minute spell left Pep Guardiola’s side with it all to do on their first trip to Everton’s Hill Dickinson Stadium, but goals from Erling Haaland and Jérémy Doku with the last kick meant they at least escaped Merseyside with a point.

Now, they need a favor from West Ham United on Sunday, all while taking care of business themselves against the Bees.

Keith Andrews’s side are seventh in the Premier League table after returning to winning ways against the Hammers last weekend. As it stands, that’d be enough for a Conference League spot, but they’d be upgraded to a Europa League berth if Aston Villa end up winning the competition.

However, plenty of teams are in the mix, with any slip-up likely to be pounced upon by their closest rivals. Fulham are just three points off in 11th.

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Man City vs. Brentford Score Prediction

Man City Recover from Setback

Man City have beaten the Bees twice this season. | Mike Morese/MI News/NurPhoto/Getty Images

Man City are now up against it after collapsing briefly on Merseyside. Given Arsenal’s remaining fixtures, the title is likely to bypass them again this season unless the desperate West Ham produce something special on Sunday.

Brentford’s desire to play in Europe for the very first time renders this a tricky fixture for the hosts, who succumbed at the Etihad to their upcoming opponents in 2022. However, City have already beaten the Bees twice this season.

A slender win in the reverse fixture was followed by a more comfortable victory on their way to Carabao Cup glory.

• Man City’s Etihad record: Since losing their home opener to Tottenham Hotspur in August, Man City are unbeaten in 15 Premier League games at home, winning 12. They’ve scored twice in 13 of these outings.
• Desperate Cityzens: A draw on Merseyside likely won’t be enough for the Cityzens, but their late equalizer does at least mean they enter Saturday’s clash with a semblance of momentum. Anything but a victory here will result in Arsenal lifting the Premier League title, albeit not mathematically.
• Phil Foden’s record against Brentford: The precocious English playmaker has struggled to get a look in this calendar year, but a big opportunity could await Foden on Saturday thanks to Antoine Semenyo’s dip in form. Guardiola must also be aware of Foden’s impressive record against the Bees. He’s only scored against Brighton & Hove Albion more in his Premier League career.

Prediction: Man City 3–1 Brentford

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Man City Predicted Lineup vs. Brentford

Phil Foden is restored to the City team. | FotMob

Guardiola said Rodri was edging closer to recovering from a groin injury ahead of Monday’s trip to Everton, but the Spanish midfielder wasn’t included in Man City’s travelling squad.

Their desperation in the title race could force the Ballon d’Or winner back into the fold on Saturday night, with City suffering in midfield against the Toffees in their potentially fatal draw. If Rodri isn’t fit enough to start, expect Guardiola to pick Nico O’Reilly alongside Bernardo Silva, rather than Nico González.

The hosts are still without Rúben Dias and Joško Gvardiol. The former has a chance of recovering from his injury before the season draws to a close, while Gvardiol, who broke his leg in January, is hoping that he’ll play a part at this summer’s World Cup for Croatia.

Antoine Semenyo’s poor run of form could see Phil Foden make a rare league start, teaming up with Rayan Cherki.

Man City predicted lineup vs. Brentford (4-2-3-1): Donnarumma; Nunes, Khusanov, Guéhi, O’Reilly; Rodri, Silva; Cherki, Foden, Doku; Haaland.

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Brentford Predicted Lineup vs. Man City

Brentford hold European aspirations. | FotMob

Brentford were far from perfect in their 3–0 victory over West Ham last week, a scoreline which certainly flattered them, but Andrews could name an unchanged team for Saturday’s trip to the Etihad.

The Bees are without long-term absentee Fábio Carvalho and Rico Henry, who’s dealing with a hamstring injury. Jordan Henderson is carrying a knock, while Vitaly Janelt has also been struggling on the fitness front as of late. The midfielder was an unused substitute in last week’s win.

Igor Thiago, the only man who can catch Erling Haaland in the Golden Boot race, will lead the visitors’ line on Saturday. He added to his tally last time out, and is just three adrift of Haaland with three games to play.

Brentford predicted lineup vs. Man City (4-2-3-1): Kelleher; Kayode, Van den Berg, Collins, Lewis-Potter; Jensen, Yarmoliuk; Ouattara, Damsgaard, Schade; Thiago.

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What Time Does Man City vs. Brentford Kick Off?

• Location: Manchester, England
• Stadium: Etihad Stadium
• Date: Saturday, May 9
• Kick-off Time: 5:30 p.m. BST / 12:30 p.m. ET / 9:30 p.m. PT
• Referee: Michael Salisbury
• VAR: James Bell

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How to Watch Man City vs. Brentford on TV, Live Stream

Country	TV Channel/Live Stream
United States	NBC, Telemundo, Telemundo Deportes En Vivo, UNIVERSO, Peacock
United Kingdom	Sky Go UK, NOW, SKY GO Extra, Sky Ultra HD, Sky Sports Main Event, Sky Sports Premier League
Canada	DAZN Canada, fuboTV Canada, Fubo Sports Network Canada
Mexico	TNT Sports, Max Mexico

• MORE: Full list of Premier League broadcasters around the world

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