Manchester City have turned their form around in recent weeks but Pep Guardiola says nothing is guaranteed as he expects a tough test against Brentford at the Gtech Community Stadium.
City, who sit sixth in the table, have won their last three games in all competitions after previously winning just one of 13.
Guardiola's side followed up back-to-back Premier League victories with an 8-0 defeat to Salford City in the FA Cup on Saturday, but the Spaniard insisted they still had something to prove despite those results.
“Of course we won three games. Before it was impossible to win one and now we have won three. That helps us,” Guardiola said.
“But the reality is we won against a League Two team. We should win for many reasons. We have done quite well but we still have to wait and see if we are who we are.”
“The mood is better. We have a very difficult match. Thomas [Frank] And [Brentford] always causes a lot of problems. They are a fantastic, fantastic team.”
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— Manchester City (@ManCity) January 12, 2025
Brentford, meanwhile, have won just one of their last seven games in all competitions, although their 5-0 win over Southampton last time out in the Premier League ended a four-match winless run in the top flight.
Before that, their unbeaten home run in the league was ended by a 3-1 defeat to Arsenal, before being surprised by Plymouth Argyle in the FA Cup on Saturday.
However, Thomas Frank has been handed an injury boost, with long-term absent Rico Henry returning against Plymouth, and the Dane confirmed he would be in the squad to face City.
“I'm very happy that Rico is back. He is one of our best players in four years in the Premier League,” said Frank.
“It will be a while before we see him fully firing. That's not to say he can't start or play a Premier League game, but consistent high performances will take some time to build.
“But he will be involved in the team and it is up to me to find out how much I can use him. It is unlikely that he will start; it is still a building process.”
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Brentford-Mikkel Damsgaard
Only Mohamed Salah (13) and Bukayo Saka (10) have provided more assists in the Premier League this season than Brentford's Mikkel Damsgaard (seven).
Meanwhile, in 2022-2023 (eight), Bryan Mbeumo is the only Brentford player to have delivered more than Damsgaard in a single season.
We have been dealt a double defensive blow ahead of the visit of Man City tomorrow
— Brentford FC (@BrentfordFC) January 13, 2025
Manchester City-Savinho
Savinho has been involved in four goals in his last two Premier League appearances for Man City (one goal, three assists), twice as many as in his first 15 (two assists). Each of his last four assists in the competition has been to Erling Haaland.
MATCH PREDICTION: MANCHESTER CITY WIN
Man City have won their last two Premier League games, having won just one of their previous nine games in the competition (D2 L6).
In the four Premier League games in which City conceded against Brentford, it was the opening goal of the match. Indeed, Yoane Wissa gave the Bees the lead after just 22 seconds in the reverse fixture.
Brentford have lost more games in the Premier League than any other side this season after conceding their first goal (five), while Manchester City have won the most games after conceding first in the league this season (four).
After winning six of their first seven Premier League home games this season – and earning more home points than any other side in the process – Brentford have now lost their last two at the Gtech Community Stadium. It wasn't until October/November 2021 that they lost three times in a row in the competition.
Unfortunately for Brentford, they have only kept one clean sheet in their seven Premier League games against City (W2 L5), and they did so in a 1-0 home win in May 2023.
OPTA CHANCE OF WINNING
Brentford – 23.3%
Draw – 23.2%
Manchester City – 53.5%
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