From that team, only Nathan Ake, Matheus Nunes and Savinho have retained their places.
The eight players making way all drop to the subs bench.
Meanwhile, Stefan Ortega Moreno, Josko Gvardiol, Manu Akanji, Mateo Kovacic, Kevin De Bruyne, Bernardo, Phil Foden and Erling Haaland all return.
Line-ups
CITY: Ortega Moreno, Nunes, Akanji, Ake, Gvardiol, Kovacic, De Bruyne (C), Bernardo, Savinho, Foden, Haaland
Subs: Ederson, Grealish, Doku, Gundogan, Simpson-Pusey, Mubama, O’Reilly, Lewis, McAtee
BRENTFORD: Flekken, Roerslev, Van den Berg, Collins, Norgaard, Damsgaard, Janelt, Jensen, Lewis-Potter, Wissa, Mbeumo.
Subs: Valdimarsson, Yarmoliuk, Henry, Mee, Konak, Maghoma, Kim, Carvalho, Schade.
Match officials
Assistants: Gary Beswick, Adam Nunn
Fourth official: Will Finnie
Assistant VAR: Eddie Smart
FORMATION & POSSIBLE TACTICS
One thing Pep Guardiola will be keen to stop this evening is Brentford’s raids down the flanks.
The Bees always seem to approach playing City with a high degree of confidence and belief, and they could have been 3-0 up at the Etihad before the Blues eventually rallied to win 2-1.
In Bryan Mbeumo and Yoane Wissa, they have a potent attack full of running, power and speed, and they are also an excellent counter-attacking team.
It’s hard to think of a game against Brentford that wasn’t difficult, and tonight will be no different.
But the Blues will be desperate to collect all three points and continue our recent improvement – and stemming the inevitable early onslaught from the hosts who have scored a number of early goals this term, will be key to our success.
WATCH: Watch: City’s memorable moments at Brentford
Huge test for Blues
City’s painful November and December has been tempered by a run of four games without loss.
Those matches were against Everton – a draw – and three wins against Leicester, West Ham and Salford.
With respect to all those teams, Brentford present a much sterner test, especially at the Gtech Stadium where they have been very strong for much of the campaign.
Guardiola will learn if his side really are returning to something like the City of the past few seasons this evening – or if there is still a way to go.
The boss admitted recent problems in transition and defensive cover when teams counter was still evident in our last three Premier League outings, and will need to have improved significantly if we are to leave West London with a positive result.
But there have been encouraging signs and, regardless of who the Blues have faced in the past few weeks, and a healthy amount of goals scored (15) by various team members.
A victory would be a fitting tribute to Tony Book who sadly passed away today.
Stats, milestones & sequences
Brentford have kept just one clean sheet in their seven Premier League games against City (W2 L5), doing so in a 1-0 home victory in May 2023.
In the four Premier League games in which City have conceded against Brentford, it has been the opening goal of the game. Indeed, Yoane Wissa gave the Bees the lead after just 22 seconds in the reverse fixture.
Having won six of their first seven Premier League home games this season – earning more home points than any other side in the process – Brentford have now lost their last two at the Gtech Community Stadium. Only in October/November 2021 have they lost three in a row in the competition.
City have won their last two Premier League games, having won just one of their previous nine in the competition (D2 L6).
Brentford have the highest shot conversion rate of any side in the Premier League this season (17.8%), while only Wolves (16.2%) have a higher conversion rate against them than City (13.9%).
Brentford have lost more Premier League games having scored the first goal than any other side this season (5), while City have won the most games having conceded first in the competition this term (4).
Brentford have conceded more goals from high turnovers than any other side in the Premier League this season (7). However, City are averaging just 1.3 shots from high turnovers per game this season, down from 1.9 last term.
No player has scored more home goals in the Premier League this season than Brentford’s Bryan Mbeumo (9, level with Erling Haaland), while teammate Yoane Wissa is third in this regard (8). Only Ivan Toney in 2022-23 (11) has hit double figures at home in a single Premier League campaign for the Bees.
Savinho has been involved in four goals in his last two Premier League appearances for City (1 goal, 3 assists), twice as many as he had in his first 15 (2 assists). Each of his last four assists in the competition have been for Haaland.
Only Mohamed Salah (13) and Bukayo Saka (10) have provided more Premier League assists this season than Brentford’s Mikkel Damsgaard (7). Meanwhile, the only Brentford player to provide more in a single campaign than Damsgaard is Bryan Mbeumo in 2022-23 (8).
WATCH: City 2-1 Brentford: Extended highlights
