MANCHESTER CITY have ground out wins in their last two Premier League games but will be looking to sign off with some swagger ahead of the World Cup break when Brentford come calling.
Pep Guardiola needed some Kevin De Bruyne magic to see off Leicester a fortnight ago and it looked like the champions might drop points last time out against Fulham when Joao Cancelo saw red for conceding a first-half penalty.
But Manchester City dug deep with 10 men and the return of Erling Haaland off the bench made the difference as he slotted home a stoppage-time penalty to seal a 2-1 victory and bring up both bets for our man Mark.
The striker's triumphant return from injury showed just how much of a talisman he has become for City and Brentford boss Thomas Frank will now have to find a way to stop the Norwegian.
The Bees are looking to consolidate this season and an impressive debut campaign in the Premier League and head into the latest round of fixtures in mid-table.
But they've been drawing too many games and crashed out of the Carabao Cup in midweek to Gillingham on penalties after a fourth stalemate in five matches.
It's now just one win in nine matches for Brentford in all competitions and they will need to come up with something special to halt that slump ahead of the Premier League hiatus.
How the bookies view it
Brentford have been written off and they are as big as 20/1 with SpreadEx for a shock Etihad victory. Manchester City's best price is just 2/15 with Unibet while the draw pays 43/5 at VBet.
Recent head to head
You have to go back to 1989 to find Brentford's last victory in the fixture and even that 2-1 win in the League Cup ultimately counted for nothing as Manchester City won 4-1 in the second leg. The teams have only met four times since then, with one draw and three City wins, including two victories in the Premier League last season.
Players to watch
Haaland won't be going to the World Cup so the Norwegian will be going full tilt as he looks to add to his incredible tally since joining City. He's just 2/5 with QuinnBet for anytime scorer but the odds increase to 41/20 if you back him to break the deadlock. McBookie are offering 14/5 on Haaland scoring with a header and that looks pretty tempting after he had one ruled out for a tight offside call against Fulham.
Ivan Toney is just a key to Brentford as Haaland is to Manchester City and he will be their best hope for an Etihad goal. He has nine goals already this season and is 11/2 with William Hill to add to that tally.
Anything else catch the eye?
Brentford couldn't lay a glove on the champions last season, failing to score in both games, so a Manchester City win to nil appeals here at 10/11 with Paddy Power. Backing Guardiola's side to win both halves boosts the odds to 21/20 at 888 Sport.
Even with 10 men last time out, Manchester City still managed to rack up nine corners. That has been their average in the last three matches so over 8.5 City corners appeals at evens with Bet365 while City -6 in the handicap is a little bigger at 21/20.
This English Premier League match between Manchester City and Brentford will be played on Nov 12, 2022 and kick off at 12:30. Check below for our tipsters best Manchester City vs Brentford prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
