Manchester City welcome Brentford to the Etihad Stadium in a League Cup clash, with Pep Guardiola’s in-form side chasing silverware against ambitious underdogs aiming for an upset.
| Tournament: | EFL Cup |
|---|---|
| Venue: | Etihad Stadium, Manchester |
| Date: | 17.12.2025 |
| Time: | 19:45 GMT |
Man City vs Brentford Form and Head to Head
Man City's most recent result was a 3-0 away victory against Crystal Palace in the Premier League. The Citizens have been in fine form, winning five of their last six matches in all competitions, including a 2-1 away win against Real Madrid in the Champions League. However, they did concede four goals in a thrilling 5-4 victory against Fulham in the Premier League.
Brentford drew their last match 1-1 against Leeds in the Premier League. The Bees' form has been inconsistent, with one win, one draw, and four losses in their last six outings. Recent Premier League away defeats to Tottenham (2-0) and Arsenal (2-0) highlight their struggles on the road.
Man City are undefeated in their last 5 matches against Brentford in all competitions. The previous meeting between these two sides saw Brentford secure a 1-0 victory at home against Man City in the Premier League in October.
However, looking at the last six encounters, Man City have a slight edge, winning 4 of those matches, while Brentford have won 1 and 1 game ended in a draw.
Who is the betting favourite in Man City vs Brentford?
According to latest odds, Manchester City are the the betting favourites to beat Brentford in the League Cup. City's odds give them an implied win probability of nearly 67% whilst Brentford's is just over 15%.
| Match Result | Best Odds | Bookmaker |
|---|---|---|
| Man City | 1/2 | Betfred |
| Brentford | 11/2 | BetVictor |
| Draw | 19/5 | Coral |
Odds last updated at 2PM, Wednesday 17th December.
Man City vs Brentford Team News
Man City will be without Kovacic and Rodri due to injury. Marmoush is also unavailable due to international duty. Doku could return after recovering from a leg injury.
Brentford will miss Carvalho due to a long-term ACL injury. Onyeka and Ouattara are absent due to international duty. Nelson is in contention to start.
Man City vs Brentford Predicted Lineups
Man City (4-2-3-1): Trafford; Aït-Nouri, Khusanov, Aké, Lewis; Reijnders, González; Savinho, Doku, Bobb; Mukasa
Brentford (4-2-3-1): Valdimarsson; Henry, V. d. Berg, Pinnock, Kayode; Jensen, Henderson; Schade, Damsgaard, Nelson; Thiago
Man City vs Brentford Match Prediction
Despite expected changes to the Man City lineup, their squad depth and home advantage should see them through to the next round. The Citizens average a high rating of 7 out of 10, boasting 75.96% possession, 92.1% accurate passes, and 20.5 total shots per game. While Brentford will see this as an opportunity to reach a semi-final against a much-changed Man City side, the home team’s quality should shine through, securing a 2-1 victory.
Prediction: Man City 2-1 Brentford
Man City vs Brentford Bet Builder Tip
Our Man City vs Brentford bet builder tips includes Man City to win, Erling Haaland to score anytime, Nico Gonzalez over 2.5 tackles, and Rico Lewis over 0.5 fouls.
Best odds of 5/1 available at bet365 while publishing.
Man City to win
Man City have been on a fine run of form recently. The Cityzens have now won five matches on the trot in all competition, scoring 16 goals in the process. They have beaten high-flying Crystal Palace and Sunderland in the league while also defeating Real Madrid away from home in the Champions League. Pep Guardiola loves winning this tournament and will be eager to enter the Semi Finals this year as well.
Man City also has a strong record against Brentford, having lost none of their last five matches against the West-London side.
Erling Haaland to score anytime
Erling Haaland is scoring goals for fun this season, boasting an impressive rate of 1.11 per 90 minutes—with just one of his 17 strikes coming from the spot, underlining his elite open-play form. Brentford have struggled on the road lately, leaking eight goals while scoring only once in their last four away outings, and with Haaland netting 11 times at the Etihad across all competitions already, he looks primed to punish their defence.
Nico Gonzalez over 2.5 tackles
Nico González has ensured Manchester City have barely felt Rodri’s absence this season, slotting seamlessly into the holding midfield role and producing a series of standout displays. He made three tackles in the last Carabao Cup outing and is averaging around 1.7 tackles per game in the Premier League, highlighting his defensive work-rate and reading of the game.
Brentford’s 3-5-2 system should give him plenty to do in and out of possession, with runners from midfield and frequent transitions to break up. In the reverse fixture at the Gtech Community Stadium, González replaced the injured Rodri in the 22nd minute and went on to register four tackles, underlining how busy he can be in this matchup. A similar level of involvement is expected again, making another strong tackling performance likely.
Rico Lewis over 0.5 fouls
Pep Guardiola is likely to rest Matheus Nunes at right-back ahead of the festive schedule, with Rico Lewis expected to slot in against Brentford. Limited minutes this season could lead to some rustiness from Lewis, making it probable that Brentford's wingers draw at least one foul from him as he works back into rhythm.
