Manchester City are back in Premier League action on Saturday after last week’s 5-0 FA Cup win over Huddersfield.
Pep Guardiola will be aiming to mount his usual title charge in the second half of the 2023/24 campaign – something that has become a staple of Manchester City under the Spaniard following an initial steady start to the season.
The Citizens are currently five points behind Liverpool – albeit with a game in hand over the Reds – meaning the gap is really just two points if Manchester City can win that clash, but who is it against?
Let’s take a look…
Who is Manchester City’s Premier League game in hand against?
Well, the Citizens will be playing Brentford.
Manchester City missed out on a Premier League clash against the Bees back in December due to FIFA Club World Cup commitments.
Guardiola was scheduled to go up against Thomas Frank at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday 23rd December – but the fixture was physically impossible to partake in as Manchester City found themselves in Saudi Arabia for the FIFA Club World Cup.
Manchester City may be facing a different Brentford side
In some ways, Guardiola might wish he was able to play Brentford sooner – as the Bees are just about to welcome Ivan Toney back from his ban for breaching betting rules.
The England international impressively scored 20 goals in 33 Premier League appearances last season – only Erling Haaland and Harry Kane netted more.
Two of those strikes came in a 2-1 win over Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium in November 2022, so Toney has already proven himself to be a thorn in Guardiola’s side previously.
Therefore, the timing is hardly ideal for Manchester City, although the treble winners should still have enough firepower to overcome a Brentford side with just one win in their last nine games.
