Manchester City faces Brentford this Monday (5), at the Gtech Community Stadium, in the 23rd round of the Premier League. With two games less than their competitors, the Citizens occupy third place with 46 points. The Bees are in 15th with 22 points. Check out where to watch Manchester City x Brentford live below.
How the teams arrive
Arsenal’s victory over Liverpool last Sunday once again upset the fight for the title in the English Championship. With 51 points, the Reds remain at the top, while the Gunners are just behind with 49 points. This means that City depends solely on themselves to regain the lead in the competition, simply by winning both matches against Brentford (today’s and the one that was postponed due to the Club World Cup).
The probability of this happening is considerable, given that the current English champions are on a run of eight straight wins in all competitions. In the most recent, they beat second-placed Burnley 3-1 at the Etihad Stadium in the Premier League. Julián Álvarez (twice) and Rodri scored the goals in the Citizens’ quiet victory.
For the match, coach Pep Guardiola will have the full squad available for the first time in a long time. The news could be the return of striker Erling Haaland to the starting 11 after being injured in December. The team’s top scorer even played the final minutes of the game against Burnley.
On the Brentford side, coach Thomas Frank continues to be without midfielder Frank Onyeka (Nigeria) nor striker Yoane Wissa (Democratic Republic of Congo), who are competing in the semi-finals of the African Cup of Nations for their teams. Iranian midfielder Saman Ghoddos finds himself in the same situation, but for the Asian Cup.
In addition, the team still has injured defenders Aaron Hickey, left-back Rico Henry and attackers Bryan Mbeumo and Kevin Schade.
Unlike City, Brentford are not in a great phase. Of the last five games, the Bees have lost three, winning just one and drawing another. In the last round, they lost 3-2 to Tottenham. As a result, the team is now at the bottom of the table, with just three points ahead of Everton, the first team within the relegation zone.
Where to watch Manchester City vs Brentford
The match between Manchester City and Brentford at the Gtech Community Stadium starts at 5pm, Brasília time, with live broadcast on ESPN (closed TV) and Star+ (streaming).