2021 has been a memorable year for Brentford Football Club and it will end by welcoming the team that is currently best in the country to our new stadium. Manchester City are defending Premier League champions and currently top of the table. They will come to West London on Wednesday, 29 December, for a match that will kick-off at 8.15pm.

The past 12 months have seen The Bees win promotion to the Premier League and play in a first-ever major cup semi-final. They started the year with that Carabao Cup Semi-Final, against Tottenham Hotspur, and end it with their 18th Premier League game. In 17 so far The Bees have taken 20 points and currently sit 13th in the table.

The Bees slipped down the standings with defeat to Brighton and Hove Albion last night. The 2-0 loss puts them in the middle of a group of seven teams separated by four points. It was a second consecutive loss, after a 2-0 defeat to Chelsea in a Carabao Cup Quarter Final, and ended a good Premier League run which had seen Brentford take seven points from their previous four matches.

Manchester City are currently on an outstanding run of form. They beat Leicester City 6-3 yesterday, taking a 4-0 lead after 25 minutes. That was a ninth Premier League win in a row and 11th in 12 matches. They have lost just twice in the league all season and are six points clear at the top of the table, albeit having played a game more that Liverpool. City also reached the knock-out stages of the UEFA Champions League but did lose the Community Shield to Leicester and were beaten in a penalty shoot-out by West Ham United in a Carabao Cup Fourth Round tie.

These sides have been infrequent opponents, with only 13 matches played between them. Manchester City won the last, an FA Cup Third Round tie in January 1997, and also triumphed over two legs in a League Cup contest in 1989. Brentford won the Griffin Park leg of that tie and also beat City in an FA Cup Fourth Round match earlier in 1989, on their way to a last eight meeting with Liverpool. There have only been eight league games between the teams, six in the top flight. Brentford won three and lost four of the eight.

Tickets have sold out. Season Ticket Holders who are unable to attend can list their tickets on the Ticket Exchange by logging into their ticketing account. My Bees Members will have the chance to purchase any listed tickets on the Ticket Exchange on a first-come, first-served basis. Full ticket information can be seen here.

The match will be live on Amazon Prime Video in the UK and Brentford fans can also listen live on Bees Player. Full information on the service can be seen here. Bees fans living overseas should check this page to see if they can watch the game live.