Brentford v Man City – Preview, Predictions and Best Bets

The Bees picked up a crucial win last time out, whilst City have won five of nine matches this season in all competitions.

Match: Brentford v Man City
When: Saturday, 04 Oct 2025

Brentford Form

Brentford are slowly improving after a slow start. They lost 3-1 at Nottingham Forest on the other day. A 1-0 home win over Aston Villa was a tad fortunate saw just 24% possession. A 2-0 win at Bournemouth in the Carabao Cup preceded a shock 2-1 loss at Sunderland having led 1-0 after 81 minutes.

Since the FIFA break, they’ve scored late to earn a 2-2 home draw with Chelsea before progressing in the League Cup – drawing 1-1 at home to Villa and winning on spot-kicks. They let a 1-0 lead slip in a 3-1 loss at Fulham but bounced back to beat Man Utd 3-1. They needed a key penalty save in that win.

Brentford Team News

Brentford have an injury doubt over young striker Gustavo Gomes. Reiss Nelson should be back in contention after illness.

Coach Keith Andrews could switch from a 4-3-3 to a 3-5-2 shape with an extra defender. Ethan Pinnock is pushing to come into a reinforced defence with Dango Ouattara the most likely to drop out.

Brentford Motivation

The Bees would probably be satisfied with a point from this match.

A more defensive approach is expected than against Man Utd. Brentford used a back five and focused on set-pieces in their draw against Chelsea.

Man City Form

City have been a mixed bag this season across nine matches. They beat Wolves 4-0 before a 2-0 home defeat to Tottenham. A 2-1 loss at Brighton preceded a 3-0 win at home against Man Utd. Their Champions League pursuit began with allowing ten-man Napoli just one shot in a 2-0 home win.

An uncharacteristically defensive approach with 33% possession nearly yielded a win at Arsenal before leaking in injury time to draw 1-1. They beat Huddersfield 2-0 away in the League Cup and smashed Burnley 5-1 with 21 shots. Their inconsistency was highlighted by a 2-2 draw away to Monaco in midweek as they conceded a late penalty.   

Man City Team News

City used John Stones at right back in midweek as Abdukodir Khusanov nurses an injury. The latter remains a question mark here.

Rayan Cherki is out and the game may come too early for left back Rayan Ait-Nouri. Omar Marmoush should be back in the squad after a knock.

Man City Motivation

City can’t afford any more cheaply dropped points. A draw here would feel like a defeat for Pep Guardiola.

The style is set to be City’s usual possession-focused game. They will be concerned with counters and long throws but should have ample time to prepare for those threats.

Key Stats

• Brentford have lost 3 of their last 6 league matches
• Brentford have avoided defeat in 3 of their last 6 matches vs City (2 wins, 1 draw, 3 losses)
• Man City have won 10 of their last 15 league matches
• Man City’s Haaland has scored 21 goals in his last 14 matches for club and country

Verdict

City are inconsistent these days and the defence is a concern. However, Haaland should fire them to victory in this one.

Featured Bet: Man City win, Over 2.5 goals and Haaland to score anytime at 2.50

Goalscorer Bet: Haaland to score 2 or more goals at 5.00