Manchester City v Brentford predictions: Bees can threaten the City defence

Free football tips, best bets and analysis for Manchester City v Brentford in the Premier League on Saturday

Where to watch

BT Sport 1, 12.30pm Saturday

Best bet

Manchester City to win & both teams to score
2pts 13-8 Hills

Team news

Manchester City
Erling Haaland should start and Kalvin Phillips could be involved after featuring in the EFL Cup in midweek. Joao Cancelo is available after serving his one-match ban against Chelsea on Wednesday.

Brentford
Midfielder Vitaly Janelt faces a late test on a muscle injury while striker Ivan Toney returns from a ban.

Match preview

Some might think this weekend's Premier League games may lack intensity with the World Cup just a week away, but don't expect anyone to be going through the motions at the Etihad.

There should be a buzz about with Erling Haaland set to start for the home side after scoring the penalty winner as a substitute against Fulham last week, and the Norwegian is going to get plenty of time to rest while lying on his sofa watching the action in Qatar.

And the champions need to give themselves a lift with two points still to make up on leaders Arsenal and a sense that they were not on top of the game in last week's win over the Cottagers, despite having Joao Cancelo sent off early on.

City are full of goals, particularly when Haaland is involved, and a strong forward performance is virtually guaranteed.

However, Pep Guardiola's side are not as frugal at the back as they could be and an unsettled back four is something the Bees could perhaps exploit, particularly if Ivan Toney, returning from suspension, feels he has a point to prove after his omission from Gareth Southgate's England squad.

City could find him a handful and Thomas Frank's side will be keen to put on a show before they get the chance to reset during the break.

A pause in the action is probably timely for the west London outfit because they have lost their way a bit.

They have won just once since September 3 and have yet to taste success on the road this term, even though they were pegged back by an injury-time equaliser at Nottingham Forest last week.

Having been thumped 4-0 at Aston Villa in their previous away game, it would be understandable if the priority became damage-limitation, but there has been little evidence that such an approach is within their make-up.

They have failed to score in just three of their last 14 away matches and with City failing to keep a clean sheet in six of their last ten league games at the Etihad, they are capable of making their mark.

One clean sheet in their last 23 top-flight outings on the road tells its own story, however, so the positive vibes are concentrated at the top end of the pitch. But the price about City winning and conceding in their final league outing before the World Cup looks attractive.