Manchester City will face Brentford in their next Premier League game
Manchester City are expected to set up in a 4-2-3-1 against Brentford at the Etihad this Saturday. Gianluigi Donnarumma starts in goal, Erling Haaland leads the line, and Rayan Cherki gets a massive opportunity to impress in a game that Pep Guardiola’s side absolutely have to win. City are currently five points adrift of Arsenal with only four games left, so the title race is effectively do-or-die now. Every player pick and tactical tweak carries massive weight.
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With Rúben Dias and Joško Gvardiol both out injured, the backline is looking pretty thin. I expect Guardiola to go with Marc Guéhi and Abdukodir Khusanov as his centre-back duo, while Matheus Nunes plays at right-back and Nico O’Reilly fills in on the left. None of these picks feels perfect, but Pep doesn’t have much of a choice here. The 3-3 draw at Everton showed just how shaky this defensive unit can be, so Guardiola will be demanding a lot more focus this time.
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Cherki and Semenyo tasked with breaking Brentford down
Further up the pitch, Nico González and Bernardo Silva will likely sit in the double pivot to protect the defence and keep the ball moving. Antoine Semenyo and Jérémy Doku should start on the wings, with Rayan Cherki playing just behind Haaland in the number ten role.
Haaland is obviously the main man up front, but Cherki and Bernardo Silva will be the ones responsible for picking locks in a crowded defence. Semenyo’s directness also adds a physicality that should give Brentford’s defenders a hard time for the full 90 minutes.
Manchester City have been leading at the break in 11 of their last 12 home league games, so the plan is clear, and that’s get ahead early, dictate the play, and make Brentford do all the chasing. This lineup fits that strategy well, and even though City aren’t at their best right now, they still have more than enough talent to get the job done.
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Manchester City (4-2-3-1): Gianluigi Donnarumma – Matheus Nunes, Abdukodir Khusanov, Marc Guéhi, Nico O’Reilly – Nico González, Bernardo Silva – Antoine Semenyo, Rayan Cherki, Jérémy Doku – Erling Haaland.
