Brentford face Manchester City at Etihad Stadium on Saturday evening (5.30pm kick-off BST), live on Sky Sports.
The Bees defeated West Ham United 3-0 to keep their European hopes alive at the weekend, while City's Premier League title ambitions were dealt a blow despite securing a dramatic 3-3 draw against Everton.
Analysis, team news, match officials and more. Here's everything you need to know ahead of the game.
Pre-match analysis
Stephen Gillett, Playmaker Stats: The key battles in Etihad clash
Brentford head to the Etihad this Saturday for the first of two decisive away games - with Manchester City’s title hopes taking a blow after a pulsating 3-3 draw at Everton.
Buzzing from a 3-0 London derby win over West Ham United last weekend, the Bees sit seventh - occupying the Europa Conference League spot - ahead of the City visit. A home clash with Crystal Palace follows, before a final day trip to Anfield.
First up are the Cityzens, who simply must win on Saturday to keep the pressure on leaders Arsenal.
Winger Jérémy Doku rescued a draw against the Toffees on Monday night, but it was still a case of two points dropped for City, who sit five points behind the Gunners, albeit with a game in hand.
It's the business end of the season and Brentford head coach Keith Andrews will no doubt have taken pointers from how Everton set up against Pep Guardiola's men.
No teams average more aerials won per game in the Premier League this season than Everton (21.7) and Brentford (19.7), and the Merseysiders' aggressive, direct approach caused City problems.
Sub Thierno Barry's first goal on Monday night came after the Toffees regained the ball from a trademark long ball clearance from goalkeeper Jordan Pickford, although the finish owed much to an underhit back pass from Marc Guéhi.
Pickford is one of only two players to complete more accurate long passes than Caoimhín Kelleher in the top flight this term, in part because the Bees' number one has such strong aerial options ahead of him.
The prolific Igor Thiago ranks second among Premier League forwards for aerial duels won in 2025/26, with Kevin Schade fifth and Dango Ouattara (16th) also featuring highly.
Brentford’s 2-1 win at the Etihad in 2022 was built on then keeper David Raya bypassing midfield to link up with two-goal Ivan Toney - and the Bees can adapt the same formula given the aerial prowess of their current forward trio.
Incidentally, the Bees were the only club to do the double over Guardiola's Treble winners in that 2022/23 season.
Brentford boss Andrews will also have noted how Everton's second came from a near-post corner, and how their third traced back to a quick throw-in that caught City on their heels.
As much as Monday night exposed chinks in City's armoury, it also highlighted the quality in their ranks.
Doku capped a man-of-the-match display with two fantastic strikes, one with either foot, and Michael Kayode can expect a busy Saturday evening. The Belgian winger leads the Premier League for successful dribbles this season (74), and also has the most carries ending in a chance (27).
Elsewhere, Rayan Cherki recorded his 11th assist of the campaign against the Toffees, and Brentford will need to guard against his ability to create a yard and fashion something out of nothing.
There is only one heavyweight clash headlining Saturday's game, however: Erling Haaland v Thiago. The Norwegian (25 goals) currently sits three ahead of his Brazilian counterpart (22) in the Premier League Golden Boot race - and who wins that particular shoot-out could define the contest.
Scout report
Dan Long, Sky Sports: Maximum points required for City
In 2025/26, Man City have been the hunters and not the hunted in the Premier League.
That has come as a surprise, given the complete lack of major silverware the season prior. Standards are sky high at the Etihad and reclaiming the trophy the club won six times in seven seasons between 2017/18 and 2023/24 will always be the priority.
But two losses in the first three games provided Arsenal with a chance. And this time, they have not choked.
Since 29 November last year, City have played 22 league games and lost just one - the Manchester derby in January. They have picked up 49 of the 66 points on offer.
But, with four games remaining, they trail Mikel Arteta’s side by five points. It would have been seven had Jérémy Doku not scored a 97th-minute equaliser in a 3-3 draw with Everton on Monday.
City, though, are serial winners and will fight until the end. Pep Guardiola said as much speaking to Sky Sports afterwards. "We take the point and until it's over, we're going to continue," he insisted.
"It's better than a loss. We played to win. It just shows what the team are. We tried and we have done it. It's not in our hands. Before it was in our hands. Now, no.
"We have to do it in our four games that we have in the Premier League. It will be quite similar against Brentford. We will see what happens."
There is no getting away from the fact Arsenal are now firmly in control of the title race.
Crystal Palace, Bournemouth and Aston Villa lie in wait after Brentford’s visit. Realistically speaking, only maximum points and an Arsenal slip will do. The target is clear.
The season is by no means over for Guardiola and co, though.
In March, they beat the Gunners at Wembley to win the Carabao Cup for the first time in five seasons and they have reached the FA Cup final for the fourth season running. Next weekend, they will have the chance to become reigning champions of both - as they did in 2018/19 - when they take on Chelsea.
Whatever happens from here, unlike last season, City have claimed silverware. That was key. A second barren campaign would have been wholly unprecedented.
But the focus will soon move towards planning how to get back on top in the Premier League next year. This time, for once, it is out of their hands.
In the Dugout
Pep Guardiola
Pep Guardiola was born an hour’s drive from Barcelona and joined the club’s La Masia academy in 1984, aged 13. He rose through the ranks and became a key part of Johan Cruyff’s team in the 1990s, before later playing under Bobby Robson and Louis van Gaal at the Nou Camp.
During 10 full seasons in the first team, the midfielder won 15 trophies, including six La Liga titles and the European Cup in 1991/92. He departed after 17 years in 2001 and played out the rest of his playing days with Roma and Brescia in Italy, Al-Ahli in Qatar, and then in Mexico with Dorados, before calling it quits in 2006.
Before long, he was back in Spain as Barcelona B manager. Promotion in the first season, 2007/08, saw him selected to step up as Frank Rijkaard’s successor at Barcelona and, over the next four seasons, he established himself as one of the great minds of football. His tiki-taka style of play heralded an astonishing 14 trophies, six of which they won during a mind-blowing 2009.
The serial winner took a year’s sabbatical before joining Bayern Munich in June 2013. In Germany, he delivered three straight Bundesliga titles, two German Cups, one European Super Cup and one Club World Cup - the third of a career that had spanned all of six years to that point. By the end of his time in Bavaria, Guardiola already knew his next move, having signed a three-year contract in February 2016 to replace Manuel Pellegrini that summer.
In the decade since, the 55-year-old has become Manchester City’s most successful manager, with 20 trophies turning them into a footballing powerhouse; one of Europe’s undoubted elites. He is now the longest-serving manager in the top four divisions after Simon Weaver’s Harrogate were relegated from League Two.
Guardiola reached 500 games as City boss with a 2-0 win at Leicester in December 2024 last year and the visit of Brentford will be game number 589. On the final day of the season, when City host Aston Villa, he will leapfrog Les McDowell as the club’s longest-serving manager in history.
The Gameplan
With Simon Bajkowski, Manchester Evening News
Simon Bajkowski, chief City writer for the Manchester Evening News, explains how Pep Guardiola's side are likely to line up on Saturday evening.
"Largely, it has been a 4-2-3-1 formation," he told brentfordfc.com.
"It will likely be Gianluigi Donnarumma, Matheus Nunes, Marc Guéhi, Abdukodir Khusanov, Nico O’Reilly; Bernardo Silva and probably Mateo Kovačić as holding midfielders, then Antoine Semenyo on the right wing, Rayan Cherki in the no.10, and Jérémy Doku on the left wing behind Erling Haaland."
Last Premier League starting XI v Everton (4-2-3-1): Donnarumma; Nunes, Khusanov, Guéhi, O'Reilly; González, Silva; Semenyo, Cherki, Doku; Haaland
Match Officials
Salisbury in charge for Cityzens trip
Referee: Michael Salisbury
Assistants: Marc Perry and Scott Ledger
Fourth official: Robert Jones
VAR: James Bell
Michael Salisbury will referee Saturday evening’s trip to Etihad Stadium.
The Lancashire official has taken charge of 18 games across the Premier League, Championship and Carabao Cup this term, including Brentford’s 2-0 victory against Bournemouth in the latter competition.
In the nine games Salisbury has been the man in the middle for, the Bees have never lost, winning on seven occasions and drawing twice.
Memorable meeting
Manchester City 1 Brentford 2, (Premier League, 12 November 2022)
Ivan Toney scored a 97th-minute winner as Brentford claimed an historic victory against Manchester City.
Toney had headed the Bees in front before Phil Foden hammered in an equaliser at the other end for Pep Guardiola's side, who were on a 16-game winning run at the Etihad before the west Londoners' visit.
Just as the game looked to be heading for a draw, Josh Dasilva teed up Toney to finish off a blistering counter attack and spark wild scenes in the away end.