Predicted Starting Line-Up: Brentford vs Manchester City (Premier League) | OneFootball

Manchester City will look to extend their winning run to four straight matches in all competitions as they travel to Brentford for a midweek Premier League clash.

The momentum is building for Pep Guardiola’s side as they travel to West London on Tuesday evening off the back of three straight victories in all competitions after a record slump between the end of October and December.

After thumping Salford City in the FA Cup third round on Saturday evening, Manchester City will be keen to keep their streak alive in the Premier League and get back into the division’s top-four places.

Heading into the midweek fixtures making up matchday 21 in the Premier League, Pep Guardiola’s men sit just two points behind Chelsea in fourth place, despite their torrid run of form spanning across 13 matches.

Injuries have plagued the Etihad Stadium outfit during the autumn and early months of winter, but after having no midweek fixtures since the turn of the New Year, the Manchester City squad should be more fit than they have been in recent weeks.

With that being said however, there is likely to be no place for Ruben Dias or John Stones, who continue to recover from their own recent issues and are expected to stand alongside Oscar Bobb and Rodri on the treatment table.

With that in mind, let’s pick out who we believe Pep Guardiola may start against the Bees on Tuesday evening at the Gtech Community Stadium!

Predicted XI

Stefan Ortega Moreno could remain the number-one choice in between the sticks for Premier League action, despite Ederson’s return from injury and outing against Salford City at the weekend.

With Manchester City’s club captain Kyle Walker seemingly on his way out of the club in the coming days, that leaves manager Pep Guardiola with just one natural option at right-back; Rico Lewis.

Next to the Academy graduate in defence will be the seemingly unbreakable duo of Manuel Akanji and Nathan Ake who, despite clearly not being fully-fit in recent weeks, have been the go-to pairing in the absence of Ruben Dias and John Stones due to injury.

That, of course, leaves Josko Gvardiol out on the left-defensive flank, and it remains to be seen whether Manchester City will bring in any competition on that side of the rearguard this month amid widespread transfer stories emerging across the media lately.

As we head into midfield, veteran Croatian international Mateo Kovacic has been the most useful Rodri replacement in the absence of Manchester City’s Ballon d’Or winner, and he should keep his starting spot.

Ahead of him is more veteran leadership, as Kevin De Bruyne and Bernardo Silva will look to put a bit of nouse into the engine room and bring that creative spark to the Gtech Community Stadium under the lights.

Out on the right-wing in Manchester City’s front-three, Phil Foden is beginning to look like his old self in patches, and he should continue to play his way back into the world-class form we’ve all become accustomed to.

After finally getting a rest against Salford City in the FA Cup third round over the weekend, Erling Haaland should be fit and firing for the trip to Brentford. The Norwegian international, of course, will get the nod through the middle.

And finally, that leaves Savinho out on the left-wing, who has been a revelation in recent matches for Pep Guardiola, chipping in with five goal contributions in the last two Premier League matches.

Predicted XI: Ortega Moreno; Lewis, Akanji, Ake, Gvardiol; Kovacic, De Bruyne, Bernardo; Foden, Haaland, Savinho.

Substitutes: Ederson, Carson, Simpson-Pusey, O’Reilly, Gundogan, McAtee, Nunes, Grealish, Doku.