One more dead rubber match before Manchester City goes for their treble. There is only one objective for City, when they travel to Brentford FC on Championship Sunday- stay healthy.
We saw that last night, as John Stones and Phil Foden picked up injuries in the meaningless match against Brighton. Although it had a lot of meaning for the Seagulls, as the result saw them clinch a Europa League berth, and that will mark their first sojourn into European football in club history.
Manchester City at Brentford FC FYIs
Championship Sunday, Brentford Community Stadium, London, UK
Form Guide: Manchester City DWWWW Brentford FC WWLWW
Transatlantic Passage: How the Premier League Redefined Soccer in America: LINK
Team News for Both Sides: go here
Google Result Probability: Man City 52% Brentford FC 24% Draw 24%
Pep Guardiola has two cup finals comin up in early June, so he’ll do some squad rotation here. He’ll keep some starters in the first team, before subbing them off early. Fringe players and youngsters will get in the team, as this will be all about mixing and matching. Pep will try to manage the objectives of keeping guys fresh for the big cup competitions ahead while also trying to avoid further injuries.
It is a delicate balance to be sure.
Manchester Starting XI Prediction at Brentford FC
Ortega; Walker, Dias, Laporte; Gomez, Lewis, Rodri; Mahrez, Palmer, Grealish; Haaland
Paul M. Banks is the owner/manager of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He’s written for numerous publications, including the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. He regularly appears on NTD News and WGN News Now. Follow the website on Twitter and Instagram.