This week, Manchester City will have a challenging Monday night match as they travel to the capital to play against Brentford in the Premier League.

Arsenal’s triumph against the present frontrunners, Liverpool, implies that a triumph for Manchester City at the Brentford Community Stadium on Monday might narrow the deficit to a mere two points for the City team, with an additional match yet to be played.

The visiting Premier League champions will face a challenging task in Monday night’s match, as they were defeated by Brentford in both home and away matches last season.

The visitors have an advantage with the comeback of the exceptional forward Erling Haaland. Pep Guardiola has announced that Haaland, after his brief outing as a substitute against Burnley last week, is now prepared to begin this match.

Thomas Frank’s team has lately welcomed back its key player, Ivan Toney, who had been absent due to a lengthy suspension. Pep Guardiola has expressed high admiration for the English centre forward.

The manager of Manchester City emphasised the danger presented by Toney, a threat that the team experienced directly last season when the striker scored a decisive goal in the last minute, resulting in a defeat for Manchester City. This was the most recent occasion when the home crowd watched such an outcome, which occurred in November 2022 at the Etihad Stadium.

Ivan Toney’s comeback has led to a significant revival in Brentford’s season. However, it is important to acknowledge the impressive performance of the opposing team, as they are now experiencing a strong run of form towards the end of the season.

Having achieved 10 victories and one tie in their previous 11 matches in all competitions, the visiting team will undoubtedly be considered the frontrunners in this particular match. That being stated, here is the lineup we anticipate to begin the Monday night match at Brentford!

Predicted Starting XI Ederson is expected to be the goalkeeper, aiming to maintain a clean sheet after conceding a dismal consolation goal in the 93rd minute in the previous match against Burnley, led by Vincent Kompany.

It is expected that Kyle Walker will regain his position in the team after being on the bench against Burnley. Consequently, he will resume his responsibilities as the captain of Manchester City, even if Kevin De Bruyne temporarily took on the job in the previous match.

John Stones is expected to resume his starting position after making a comeback in the match against Burnley. It is anticipated that he will form a defensive partnership with Ruben Dias, while Manuel Akanji will be gradually reintegrated into the team as he regains full physical condition.

For this particular match, we advocate for Nathan Ake to be deployed as the left-back in Manchester City’s defensive lineup, thereby finalising the composition of the defence.

Rodri will continue to be a key player in Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City lineup, especially following his characteristic side-footed goal in the previous match.

Kevin De Bruyne, who had not started a match since August, played against Burnley on Wednesday night. We anticipate that De Bruyne, a Belgian player, will maintain his position in the starting line-up. He is expected to partner with Phil Foden in the attacking midfield positions.

Bernardo Silva is expected to alternate with Phil Foden in London this week, as the versatile Portuguese playmaker is poised to make his comeback and play in the wide-right position of a front-three formation.

Julian Alvarez’s two goals on his birthday may not be enough to secure him a spot on the substitute bench this week, as it appears like Erling Haaland’s highly anticipated comeback is likely to occur for this match.

Although Jack Grealish did not play on Wednesday night, we anticipate that the Englishman will take the position of summer recruit Jeremy Doku in the starting line-up for the upcoming match at Brentford.

The anticipated starting lineup consists of Ederson in goal, with Walker, Stones, Dias, and Ake forming the defensive line. Rodri, De Bruyne, and Foden are expected to occupy the midfield, while Bernardo, Haaland, and Grealish are projected to be the attacking trio.

Available replacements: Ortega Moreno, Lewis, Akanji, Gvardiol, Kovacic, Nunes, Bobb, Alvarez, Doku.