Brentford are seeking back-to-back victories against the Manchester clubs, while City could extend their unbeaten run to seven games in all competitions. BBC Sport explores some of the key themes before Sunday’s match.
“I thought we dovetailed nicely between enticing them and hurting them,” said Brentford head coach Keith Andrews after his side beat Manchester United 3-1 last weekend.
Advertisement
It was undoubtedly the biggest win of the Irishman’s short reign and it was underpinned by the performance of number nine Igor Thiago, who scored twice.
The Brazilian joined from Club Brugge for a then club record £30m in the summer of 2024 but barely featured last season because of injury. However, the 24-year-old has started this campaign impressively, with four goals in six Premier League outings.
Thiago lost his father at a young age and was required to provide for his family when he was just 13. Bricklaying and carrying fruit were some of jobs he did to earn money. Now he is one of Europe’s most in-form strikers.
Of forwards to take 10 or more shots in the continent’s top five divisions, only Harry Kane has a better conversion rate than Thiago and he is currently ahead of Robert Lewandowski, Julian Alvarez and Erling Haaland, his opposite number this Sunday.
[BBC]
Conceding late a concerning trend for City
Manchester City have not lost since August but travel to west London seeking to put the disappointment of Wednesday’s 2-2 Champions League draw in Monaco behind them.
Advertisement
Pep Guardiola’s side largely dominated the game in the principality but squandered the lead twice, with former Spurs defender Eric Dier’s 90th-minute penalty denying City three points.
“Obviously it’s a bit disappointing to concede this late,” admitted Bernardo Silva after the match. “We were controlling the game.”
It was the third time this season that City have been on the wrong end of a late goal, with an 89th-minute strike from Brajan Gruda condemning them to defeat at Brighton in August and Gabriel Martinelli’s 90th-minute equaliser for Arsenal last month.
City only conceded two result-altering goals from the 85th minute onwards during the 2022-23 Treble-winning campaign, or one every 30.5 matches. That figure rises to roughly one every 11 games across the past two seasons and this term it stands at a concerning one in every three.
[BBC]
One thing that won’t concern Guardiola is the form of Erling Haaland. His well-taken brace on Wednesday took this season’s tally to 17 goals in 10 games for club and country and he’s scored in each of City’s four away fixtures so far. The Norwegian is yet to find the net at the Gtech Community Stadium in two previous visits, a record he will seeking to end on Sunday.
