Manchester City head into their clash with the Bees of Brentford FC picking up right where they left off last season. They are top of the table, albeit tied with Liverpool. (So what else is new?) Both City and Liverpool have nine points and a +7 goal differential on the young season. No one else in the league, including Arsenal, are unblemished at this time.
Manchester City, are of course the reigning league champions and they are approaching this season with a title defense as the primary goal.
For Brentford FC, the main goal is to finish mid-table, as to not have to sweat down stretch about staying up in the top flight.
Brentford FC at Manchester City FYIs
Kick-off time: 3PM GMT, 14th September 2024, Etihad Stadium
Man City Preview Content: Injury Updates Team News Starting XI Prediction
Premier League Form Guide, Standing: Brentford FC WLW 6th, 6 pts Man City WWW 1st, 9 pts
Result Probability: Brentford FC 7% Draw 11% Man City 82%
Manchester City Starting XI Prediction vs Brentford FC
Ederson; Kyle Walker, Ruben Dias, John Stones, Josko Gvardiol; Kevin De Bruyne, Mateo Kovacic; Jeremy Doku, Bernardo Silva, Phil Foden; Erling Haaland
Prediction: Manchester City 3, Brentford FC 0
I feel very confident in predicting a big, big win for City here. The Bees are easy to root for, but I think a road upset here is just a bridge too far for even the most ardent of Bee-lievers.
Paul M. Banks is the Founding Editor 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 currently contributes to USA Today’s NFL Wires Network. His past bylines include the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. His work has been featured in numerous outlets, including the Wall Street Journal, Forbes, the Washington Post and ESPN. You can follow him on Linked In and Twitter.