A sense of normalcy is finally returning to the sky blue side of Manchester, with City chasing their fourth straight win in all competitions.
After securing back-to-back Premier League wins either side of New Year’s Day, City produced a performance and result from their ruthless harvest at the weekend, beating Salford 8-0 in the third round of the FA Cup.
Saturday’s triumph is not a major indicator that City will be challenging again any time soon, but there is no denying that the good mood has started to return to the Etihad. Pep Guardiola may also have some great new toys to play with before the end of the month.
The path to the middle of the table follows Brentford team on Tuesday night. Here’s how City could perform at Gtech.
GK: Stefan Ortega – Ortega appears to have taken over as number one with Ederson starting in the cup on Saturday. That used to be the job of the Germans.
RB: Rico Lewis – Kyle Walker may have already played his last game for the club with Guardiola confirms that the veteran defender wants out. Lewis is his successor.
CB: Manuel Akanji – The Swiss defender is an option for Guardiola at right-back, but he will start centrally for now with John Stones and Ruben Dias out.
CB: Nathan Ake – Guardiola desperately needs Ake to stay fit given City’s uncertain situation with injuries at the heart of their defence. The Sky Blues are a better team with the Dutchman in the XI.
LB: Josko Guardiol – It has been a mixed season for Guardiola so far and he would enjoy a weekend break ahead of a busy end to January.
CM: Mateo Kovačić – City are currently without a dominator in defensive transition with Rodri out, so Brentford will take their chances on the counter-attack through Bryan Mbeum and Yoane Wiss. Expect Kovačić to commit a few tactical fouls at the bottom of the midfield.
RM: Savinho – The Brazilian is coming into his own at City, and it would be no surprise if he switched sides in west London given his recent success on the left.
AM: Kevin De Bruyne – De Bruyne is certainly not the player he once was, but he will benefit from a weekend off before Tuesday’s game. The Belgian is still capable of playing a deep, compact defense and his long-range strike is a potential source of goals on Tuesday.
AM: Phil Foden – While De Bruyne provides the destruction, Foden offers the necessary subtlety and finesse to operate in and around Brentford’s deep defensive block. The Englishman scored in his previous away game in the Premier League.
LM: Jeremy Doku – After recording a brace at the weekend, Doku should retain his place in Guardiola’s XI despite Jack Grealish finally ending his run from the spot.
ST: Erling Haaland – Divin Mubama is unlikely to steal minutes from him Haaland during the second half of the season, but potential new arrival Omar Marmoush could. The Nordic striker was superb in the reverse fixture, scoring twice after Brentford opened the scoring within 22 seconds.
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