Preview: Brentford vs. Manchester City - prediction, team news, lineups

Kicking disconnected a three-game roadworthy travel successful the English capital, a revitalised Manchester City question a 4th triumph connected the rotation successful Tuesday's Premier League clash with Brentford astatine the Gtech Community Stadium.

Pep Guardiola's merciless men embarrassed Salford City 8-0 successful FA Cup enactment astatine the weekend, whereas the Bees' sting was rendered ineffective by Plymouth Argyle successful a daze 1-0 third-round defeat.

Match preview

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Manchester United's famed Class of 92 whitethorn person bask singular occurrence implicit Man City during their playing heyday, but the trio of Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes and Nicky Butt were powerless to forestall their Salford City broadside from suffering an FA Cup crushing astatine the Etihad.

A James McAtee hat-trick, Jeremy Doku double, Jack Grealish penalty, debut Divin Mubama extremity and Nico O'Reilly onslaught each contributed to a Mancunian mauling connected Saturday evening, arsenic Guardiola's youngsters proved that the kids are much than each right.

The emphatic third-round occurrence marked the archetypal clip since 1933 that Man City had scored an bonzer 8 goals successful 1 FA Cup match, arsenic the reigning Premier League champions deed a caller zenith successful their wintertime revival pursuing top-flight beatings of West Ham United and Leicester City.

A 4-1 hammering of the Hammers connected January 4 took the sixth-placed Citizens to wrong 2 points of the Champions League places, and portion a rubric five-peat whitethorn beryllium retired of the question, a top-four decorativeness should not beryllium if Guardiola's men tin prolong their customary second-half-of-season surge.

Even successful the midst of their unforeseen capitulation, City seldom failed to find the people successful the Premier League and person recovered the backmost of the nett successful each of their past 7 Premier League matches, a bully omen for the neutrals hoping to witnesser different Brentford blockbuster.

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Goals are astir ever a warrant erstwhile Thomas Frank's men measurement ft onto acquainted territory, but their Gtech Community Stadium powers person waned importantly implicit the wintertime period, and Championship strugglers Plymouth were the latest squad to sound down a fewer much West London walls.

Producing Saturday's biggest FA Cup upset, Argyle kept the Bees astatine bay and booked their fourth-round summons courtesy of a Morgan Whittaker onslaught successful the last 10 minutes, sending the Green Army location elated and the Brentford faithful location deflated.

That third-round decision was the harshest of world checks for Brentford successful the aftermath of their 5-0 Southampton slaughter past clip retired successful the Premier League, a effect that saw them yet get disconnected the people distant from location astatine the 10th effort and consolidate a mid-table standing.

However, the Bees tin nary longer proudly assertion to beryllium the best-performing location squad successful the English apical formation - that honour belongs to Liverpool - and Frank's men could present suffer 3 consecutive Premier League games astatine the Gtech Community Stadium for conscionable the 2nd time.

Speaking of things coming successful threes, Man City person prevailed successful each of their past 3 top-flight contests with Tuesday's hosts since going down 1-0 successful West London during the last gameweek of the 2022-23 season, edging retired Frank's broadside 2-1 astatine the Etihad successful September arsenic Erling Haaland's brace cancelled retired a first-minute Yoane Wissa opener.

Brentford Premier League form:

Brentford signifier (all competitions):

Manchester City Premier League form:

Manchester City signifier (all competitions):

Team News

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None of City's 4 wounded victims - Rodri (ACL), Ruben Dias (calf), Oscar Bobb (leg) oregon John Stones (foot) - volition instrumentality for the travel to Brentford, which comes conscionable a mates of days aft Kyle Walker dropped an exit bombshell.

Guardiola confirmed aft Saturday's triumph implicit Salford that the right-back had asked for a transportation abroad, truthful helium has seemingly played his last crippled for the Premier League champions and should not beryllium progressive erstwhile the champions instrumentality connected the Bees.

Instead, Rico Lewis volition fulfil right-back duties for Tuesday's visitors, who volition besides callback a plethora of large hitters to the archetypal XI, astir apt astatine the disbursal of FA Cup stars McAtee, Doku and Grealish.

Meanwhile, Brentford's downturn successful signifier has coincided with a increasing wounded list, and the Bees inactive cannot telephone upon Josh Dasilva (knee), Ethan Pinnock (thigh), Kristoffer Ajer (ankle), Ben Mee (unspecified), Aaron Hickey (thigh), Igor Thiago (knee), Gustavo Nunes (back) oregon Ryan Trevitt (Achilles).

However, determination was 1 tiny triumph for Brentford to instrumentality from their nonaccomplishment to Plymouth, wherever left-back Rico Henry made his archetypal quality successful a staggering 16 months, lasting conscionable implicit an hr connected his comeback crippled from a terrible genu injury.

Keane Lewis-Potter - caller from signing a caller declaration - should connection Henry immoderate respite this week, though, portion location specialists Wissa and Bryan Mbeumo volition besides return; the brace person scored 17 of Brentford's 27 Premier League location goals betwixt them this season.

Brentford imaginable starting lineup:
Flekken; Roerslev, Van den Berg, Collins, Lewis-Potter; Norgaard, Janelt, Damsgaard; Mbeumo, Wissa, Schade

We say: Brentford 1-3 Manchester City

No squad successful the Premier League has mislaid much games aft scoring archetypal than Brentford this play (five), portion Man City person won much matches aft going down (four) than immoderate of their top-flight rivals.

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