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17 min Kayode’s throw-in is half cleared to Jensen, whose deflected shot from distance is headed away. Brentford are the better team just now.
15 min Jensen whips in a dangerous ball that is spooned away by the diving Donnarumma. It was a cross rather than a shot, but Donnarumma had to wait to see whether anybody got a touch before he could commit to saving it.
Updated at 12.47 EDT
14 min Hickey is fouled just outside the area on the left by Cherki. City look nervous, the Etihad is quiet and Rodri is having another great game.
13 min Lewis-Potter strolls to the halfway line and spins a terrific pass behind the City defence. Ake does excellently to get between the ball and Schade, who barges him over on the edge of the area.
Had Ake been less alert, both Schade and Igor Thiago would have been through on goal.
Updated at 12.44 EDT
10 min The Kelleher save aside, Brentford will be pleased with their start. They’re having plenty of the ball and look a threat in attack.
8 min Kayode’s first long throw almost leads to the opening goal. Donnarumma comes and gets nowhere near the ball, which bounces around the six-yard box before Nunes lumps it clear.
Gianluigi Donnarumma makes a mess of things. Photograph: Naomi Baker/Getty ImagesShare
Updated at 12.42 EDT
6 min Brentford are playing with two men up, Schade and Igor Thiago. The midfield looks fairly narrow, with Damsgaard and Yarmoliuk tucking in from wide positions.
5 min “The inclusion of Kevin Schade in the Brentford starting lineup nicely sets up the type of freude that City’s detractors will feel, should the German winger bang home the winner/equaliser,” puns Peter Oh.
4 min Doku releases the underlapping O’Reilly, whose cutback from the byline is crucially cut out by Jensen. Kelleher had gone to meet O’Reilly was out of the game.
Yehor Yarmolyuk feels the presence of Jeremy Doku. Photograph: Michael Regan/Getty ImagesShare
Updated at 12.38 EDT
3 min: Good save by Kelleher Jeremy Doku almost picks up where he left off at Everton. He ran straight at Kayode, no messing around, and curled a low shot across goal that was pushed away by the diving Kelleher.
2 min Brentford have started with Keane Lewis-Potter at left-back with Aaron Hickey in the centre of midfield. Interesting.
1 min Brentford kick off from right to left as we watch. And why not?
“Haaland has 25 goals,” begins Zach Neeley. “Arsenal’s highest is Gyokeres at 14, and not because they score fewer goals (67 to 69). Which is better, the bulk scorer who you know will go out there and usually get something? Or the balanced team, where it can come from so many places?”
That would make for a great podcast discussion. The short answer: it’s complicated. (See Van Nistelrooy, Ruud.)
Updated at 12.31 EDT
A reminder of the teams
Manchester City (4-2-3-1) Donnarumma; Nunes, Guehi, Ake, O’Reilly; Bernardo, Reijnders; Semenyo, Cherki, Doku; Haaland.
Subs: Trafford, Dias, Stones, Marmoush, Kovacic, Nico, Ait-Nouri, Savinho, Foden.
Brentford (4-2-3-1) Kelleher; Kayode, Ajer, Collins, Hickey; Yarmoliuk, Jensen; Lewis-Potter, Damsgaard, Schade; Thiago.
Subs: Valdimarsson, Van den Berg, Pinnock, Henderson, Dasilva, Nelson, Ouattara, Janelt, Furo.
Referee Michael Salisbury.
Keith Andrews’ pre-match thoughts
double quotation markWe’re very understanding of the magnitude of the game for them, but we’ve got our own agenda and we want to finish the season well.
This is as hard it gets. We need to play very, very well today to get something from the game.
Pep Guardiola’s pre-natch thoughts
double quotation markKhusanov got a knock from Beto in a painful area. He’s not ready.
We’re into the last two weeks – let’s go for every game.
It’s nice to play at home. We’ll try to play a good game, then go to sleep!
Brentford still have a chance of qualifying for next season’s Champions League. If Aston Villa beat Freiburg in the Europa League final, the team that finishes sixth in the Premier League will qualify for the Champions League.
It’ll probably be between Bournemouth, Brighton and Brentford. Not since Bad Santa have the three Bs caused such excitement.
Updated at 12.23 EDT
Premier League results
Liverpool 1-1 Chelsea
Brighton 3-0 Wolves
Fulham 0-1 Bournemouth
Sunderland 0-0 Man Utd
Updated at 12.03 EDT
One of tonight’s subplots is the race for the Premier League golden boot. Erling Haaland leads the way with 25 goals; the only man with a chance of catching him is Brentford’s Igor Thiago.
ShareTeam news
Pep Guardiola makes two changes to his Manchester City side. Nathan Ake and Tiijani Reinders replace Abdukodir Khusanov (who is injured) and Nico Gonzalez.
Keith Andrews also makes a couple of changes. Aaron Hickey and Kristoffer Ajer come in for Sepp van den Berg and Dango Ouattara.
Manchester City (4-2-3-1) Donnarumma; Nunes, Guehi, Ake, O’Reilly; Bernardo, Reijnders; Semenyo, Cherki, Doku; Haaland.
Subs: Trafford, Dias, Stones, Marmoush, Kovacic, Nico, Ait-Nouri, Savinho, Foden.
Brentford (4-3-3) Kelleher; Kayode, Ajer, Collins, Hickey; Yarmoliuk, Damsgaard, Jensen; Lewis-Potter, Thiago, Schade.
Subs: Valdimarsson, Van den Berg, Pinnock, Henderson, Dasilva, Nelson, Ouattara, Janelt, Furo.
Referee Michael Salisbury.
Updated at 12.07 EDT
Pre-match reading
In which Harry Paterson previews the last lap of an intriguing title race.
SharePreamble
“Next time, there’ll be no next time.” The point of no return. Do or die. The last-chance saloon. Endgame tavern. Jeopardy Dread Wetherspoons.
However you want to describe it, Manchester City are in the position all sports teams fear: knowing they have no margin for error.
City lost control of the title race during their madcap 3-3 draw at Hill Dickinson Stadium on Monday. If they fail to beat Brentford at the Etihad tonight, it’ll be all over bar the tweeting.
Though City are strong favourites, they will be wary of an impressive, overachieving opponent. Brentford might be the only regular Premier League team who have never suffered a pasting at the hands of Pep Guardiola – none of their defeats have been by more than two goals.
Goal difference could still decide the title, so City would love to change chat tonight. But the most important thing, by far, is that they don’t slip up again.
Kick off 5.30pm.