The first game following the September international break will see Brentford make one of the most daunting trips of the season to the Etihad Stadium.
Manchester City are at home to the Bees on matchday 4 of the 2024/25 Premier League season as they aim for a solid start to their title defence.
Indeed, Pep Guardiola’s side are defending the Premier League trophy for the sixth time in the last seven years, so they are masters of taking charge of their destiny.
Man City and Brentford met twice in the space of a fortnight earlier in 2024 and City were victorious, just the third time one team has defeated another twice in the same calendar month in the Premier League. Interestingly, Brentford are one of the soccer clubs that have never won a trophy.
Erling Haaland scored the only goal of the match in the most recent of those encounters, as Manchester City edged to a 1-0 home win that was crucial to clawing their way back to the top of the league.
City will nevertheless be wary of Thomas Frank’s side, who completed the league double over them in 2022/23, and will be keen on a big scalp early into the new season
That pair of defeats is one of the only sore moments in the last couple of seasons for the Citizens, who won their maiden UEFA Champions League title and became the second English club to complete the continental treble.
Last term, an unprecedented fourth consecutive Premier League title followed, but the competition has inched ever closer recently.
Arsenal have emerged as genuine contenders for City’s crown, and although Liverpool are undergoing a rebuild following Jurgen Klopp’s exit, structures are in place for them to keep competing.
City will thus need to be fully focused from the get-go as the margins to win the title become slimmer.
Any fixture against Brentford is a potential banana skin, and their players should be fired up for the challenge.
The Sky Blues begin their Premier League title defence at Chelsea on 18 August, followed by Ipswich Town and West Ham United. They should welcome Brentford feeling up for the game,
Regardless of their under-par showings last term, Brentford always put on a compelling physical battle with their opponents and will be raring to go in Manchester.
After 13th and 9th-placed finishes in their first two Premier League campaigns, they understandably struggled last term.
The Bees had a poor season as they finished 16th, losing half of their 38 games and tallying 39 points in the Premier League.
A lot more needs to be done to get back to their usual levels, and they will be eager to get started on opening day in a London derby against Crystal Palace. No better way to start the campaign on an electric note.
A trip to Liverpool follows next, and after hosting Southampton, they make the second tough away trip to City.
It is pertinent that the West Londoners fight for any result they can get to build momentum in the early matches of the campaign.
Match tickets
This Premier League game takes place on Saturday, 14 September 2024, with kick-off scheduled for 3 PM UK time.
Match tickets are available for sale on each club’s website, with season ticket holders and club members getting priority consideration.
All roads lead to the Etihad on matchday, and the stadium is set to have well over 50,000 seats sold out for this fixture. Given the superior mood Man City are in, their fans will be keen to see some goals, and they will be cheering their team on through the 90 minutes.
The official match ticket sources are already packed with requests, so we urge supporters still looking for Manchester City vs Brentford tickets to make their purchase on a ticket resale site.
Team news
Guardiola has stated that he will have most of the same players in the squad for 2024/25, yet they have added Savinho from Troyes.
Goalkeeper Ederson has been linked with a move to Saudi Arabia, and City are ready to explore a transfer of Paris Saint-Germain’s Gianluigi Donnarumma
Elsewhere, Kevin De Bruyne has entered the final 12 months of his £400,000-per-week City contract, and the club is desperate to keep him for the upcoming campaign as Al-Ittihad have made a lucrative offer for the Belgian.
While they would want the 33-year-old to agree to lower salary terms, KDB had a mammoth offer to consider but Guardiola has insisted that the midfielder is staying.
Nevertheless, Crystal Palace’s Eberechi Eze has been linked with a move as well as Dani Olmo, should City need an emergency replacement in attacking midfield.
Brentford have signed Igor Thiago from Club Brugge who is an ideal replacement for Ivan Toney in case he leaves this summer.
Manchester United has now joined Tottenham and West Ham United in attempting to acquire the England striker who offers proven Premier League-goalscoring ability and is now available at a cut price.
Line-ups
Guardiola is expected to field his usual suspects should fitness and suspensions permit. Julian Alvarez and Rodri both have extended breaks after winning Copa America and EURO 2024, but they should be available to face Brentford.
Manchester City: Ortega; Walker, Stones, Dias, Gvardiol; Rodri, Kovacic; Foden, De Bruyne, Doku; Haaland
Frank’s team are known for reverting to their tried and trusted three-at-the-back system with a defensive block and quick counterattacks against the Big Six sides. They will look to profit from some rare errors in the City team and be inventive at set-pieces
Brentford: Flekken; Roerslev, Pinnock, Collins, Stevens; Onyeka, Janelt, Peart-Harris; Mbeumo, Thiago, Wissa
Prediction
Considering their pedigree and long unbeaten run at home, it is hard to see this match going any other way than a Man City win. Coincidentally, it was Brentford who inflicted their last home defeat in late 2022, but the Bees have still lost seven of their nine away games against City in all competitions.
Manchester City must be ready to fight for the points but there is no doubting their ability to coast to victory here. Another win in the bag, surely.
Man City 2-0 Brentford.
