Manchester City in search of four consecutive victories as Brentford visits.

2024-09-15

As Manchester City look to extend their early-season dominance against Brentford at the Etihad, Erling Haaland aims to continue his goal-scoring spree, while the resilient Bees hope to recreate past upsets in what promises to be a thrilling encounter.

Manchester City

League leaders Manchester City secured a 3-1 victory over West Ham just before the international break, courtesy of Haaland's hattrick. An own goal from Rúben Dias allowed West Ham to momentarily draw level, but Haaland's consecutive hattrick goals ensured City's third consecutive win.

This remarkable performance has made Haaland the Premier League's top scorer with seven goals, twice as many as any other player. He also became the first player to achieve a hattrick in two of the opening three league matches since Paul Jewell did so in the 1994/95 season.

With challenging upcoming matches against Inter Milan in the UCL and Arsenal in the league, a win over Brentford this weekend would be ideal for City. Despite losing twice in their last six encounters with Brentford, City has managed four wins, including two consecutive victories last season.

Following the international break, City is expected to field a 3—4—2—1 formation with Haaland leading the attack. Haaland netted the winner in Norway’s 2-1 victory over Austria on Monday. Meanwhile, Jack Grealish scored in England’s 2-0 win over Ireland, and Kevin De Bruyne contributed a brace in Belgium's 3-1 Nations League win against Israel.

Brentford

A brace from Bryan Mbeumo in the 43rd and 65th minutes helped Brentford to a 3-1 win over newly promoted Southampton despite a stoppage-time goal from the opposition. With this win, the Bees have experienced a pattern of defeat sandwiched between two victories, maintaining their position with 6 points in 6th place on the Premier League table.

Victory over Manchester City could be described as a tall order, as Brentford have lost more away games (13 in the competition) than any other side. However, Thomas Frank will hope his team draws inspiration from previous seasons, where they secured a league double over the Sky Blues with a 1-0 win at home and a 2-1 victory away.

On Saturday, a 4-3-3 formation is expected, featuring Yoane Wissa, Kevin Schade, and Bryan Mbeumo, who recently played in Cameroon's goalless draw against Zimbabwe.