Brentford vs Man City live on Dec. 29, 2021: The Bees aim to end the Cityzens' amazing winning run

December 29, 2021 By Ali M.

Topics: TV Schedules, Brentford, Manchester City, English Premier League

Will the Cityzens become the latest top team to struggle at the Brentford Community Stadium? Here's a preview of their midweek showdown with the Bees.

Preview

Premier League table-toppers Man City return to action on Wednesday, with the reigning champions taking on Brentford just three days after their unforgettable Boxing Day clash with Leicester. Guardiola's men will be eyeing one thing and one thing only in this showdown: extending their lead at the top.

Despite losing 2-0 to Tottenham earlier this month, Brentford have given every single top side a run for their money in their first season back in the Premier League. The newly-promoted side kicked things off with a convincing 2-0 win over Arsenal on the opening day, but it did not stop there.

Liverpool were unable to overcome the Bees, drawing 3-3 in an exciting clash back in September. After that came a 2-1 victory over West Ham, one of the many teams competing for a UEFA Champions League spot this season, before frustratinghly losing 1-0 to Chelsea.

Unfortunately, form has been slipping away from Thomas Frank's side. Brentford suffered losses against Burnley and Norwich City not too long ago. Earlier this month, the home side were held to a 2-2 draw by Leeds before losing 2-0 to Chelsea in the Carabao Cup quarterfinals. Their most recent outing was an encounter with Brighton, with Toney and Co. suffering another defeat, this time going 2-0 down.

The same cannot be said about Man City, however. The Cityzens enter this tie on the back of a nine-game winning streak, registering five cleans from those fixtures. However, their most recent game proved that Guardiola's side aren't as impenetrable as perceived.

Bernardo Silva and Co. hosted Leicester at the Etihad Stadium during Boxing Day, but despite marching to an excellent 4-0 lead in the first-half, City nearly threw it all way. The defending champions conceded three quick goals in the second half and thus saw their four-goal lead slashed to one, leaving their fans fearful of an unwanted comeback victory for Brendan Rodgers' men.

Fortunately, Laporte and Sterling went on to net their team's fifth and sixth of the day, with City eventually triumphing 6-3. The league leaders enter this trip to Brentford with a six-point lead thanks to Liverpool's upsetting 1-0 loss away to Leicester, meaning Guardiola's men can go nine points clear with a win – Chelsea will need to lose their home clash against Brighton for this to occur, though.

Team news

Brentford: Bryan Mbeumo picked up a calf injury in the defeat to Brighton, thus joining Zanka, Kristoffer Ajer, Josh Dasilva, Rico Henry, Charlie Goode and David Raya on the sidelines. Vitaly Janelt is out due to COVID-19 while Christian Norgaard and Frank Onyeka are suspended.

Man City: With the Cityzens set to face Arsenal on New Year's Day, Pep is unlikely to risk Kyle Walker and Rodri, who missed the Leicester clash due to injuries. Ferran Torres has left for Barcelona while John Stones is also on the sidelines.

Key stats

The last time these two sides met was in the 1997 FA Cup third round, with Man City winning 1-0 on that day.
Not only have Guardiola's men won their last nine consecutive league games, but the leaders triumphed by an aggregate score line of 30-6.
The Bees have dropped points in three of their last five games but have won their last two home games, beating Watford and Everton.