Manchester City take on the visitors Brentford in quarterfinal match of English Football League Cup. The match will be played on Wednesday, December 17th at Etihad Stadium (Manchester).
Manchester City seemed to have established dominance on the domestic English scene and even went on to win the Champions League. However, it looks like complacency played its role when last summer they failed to bring in enough new faces and then went into decline, as even after several high-profile January signings they were knocked out of all competitions, losing the FA Cup final and finishing only third in the Premier League. Now, after strengthening again in the summer, the giant is still making quite a few mistakes, both domestically and in the Champions League. In the latest round there against Real Madrid, after conceding first, they produced a comeback 2–1 victory. Against Crystal Palace, who are currently in excellent form, they secured a convincing 3–0 win in the most recent league round, once again confirming that they are not ready to give up on their hopes of returning to first place so easily. Overall, their recent results suggest gradual improvement, even if stability has not yet been fully restored. At home in particular, Manchester City continue to show a high level and usually turn pressure into wins.
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Brentford are coping with the challenge quite confidently. The Bees only relatively recently broke into the Premier League. However, they have already managed to establish themselves as a solid mid-table side, finishing last season in the top 10 of the final standings. At that time, key factors behind the success were the coaching qualities of Frank, who had led the team up from the Championship, and a deadly attacking partnership. But Thomas was lured to Tottenham, and both forwards were bought by bigger clubs. Even so, there was no catastrophe, to put it mildly: Brentford adapted and remained competitive, showing the ability to score and pick up points. In the latest rounds, after a couple of defeats, they were limited to a 1–1 draw with division newcomers Leeds. On the other hand, in the League Cup, before thrashing Grimsby, they knocked out solid Bournemouth and Aston Villa. Their recent form has been mixed, but the team continues to prove difficult to break down. Even against stronger opponents, Brentford often stay competitive and fight for a result.
In the last five meetings, the Bees managed to claim a draw only once, at home last season, losing all the other matches. At home, the Citizens are expected to dominate and push hard even without a full-strength lineup, as the quality is there and there is plenty to prove. We are backing them with a -1.5 goals handicap.
Prediction for the match: Manchester City to win with -1.5 handicap.
