Premier League: Resuscitated City to Swat the Buzzing Bees

Brentford vs Manchester City

Manchester City are back in business with the return of Haaland and KDB. Their dominance was never in question, even when they were dealing with injuries for a couple of weeks, but now that they’re back on track, Premier League rivals should proceed with caution.

Pep and his revitalized squad are keen to take back the top spot in the league standings and extend their winning streak to five as they march to Gtech Community Stadium to face off against the struggling Brentford.

But the Bees have a bounce to their step, with Ivan Toney back in the lineup. So City’s visit won’t be a cakewalk whatsoever.

So, read more below, as SBOTOP provides an in-depth preview of what will be an exciting clash between two rejuvenated outfits.

Talking Points

City are back on track

After, to their lofty standards, a sketchy stretch of football due to the absence of their one-two punch Kevin De Bruyne and Erling Haaland, the Sky Blues are back on track to regain the top spot in the Premier League standings.

In all honesty, they were never out of the title race to begin with. Despite falling a few spots in the table, Manchester City remained one of the Premier League 2024 odds favourites to win the top flight.

It helped their cause that they didn’t lose any key players amidst the AFC Asian Cup and the Africa Cup of Nations like most teams in the league, which is why they managed to keep the ship afloat despite their injury woes.

KDB made his return during their FA Cup bout against Huddersfield, where the Belgian immediately made significant contributions despite going in as a substitute. Meanwhile, their No. 9, Erling Haaland, returned to action in their Matchday 22 clash against the struggling Burnley.

Haaland showed signs of rust during his return but came out with the win nonetheless. But the main Premier League 2024 news headline here is that KDB and Haaland are now back on the pitch at the same time since their opening win of the season on Matchday 1, where De Bruyne went down with an injury.

Now that Pep’s Blue Monster is pretty much back on its feet, the journey back to the summit is in full swing. The Sky Blues are currently in the second spot of the league table with a game in hand, trailing Liverpool by five points.

With Mo Salah still sidelined and Klopp’s shock departure from the Reds, it’s fair to say it’s only a matter of time until Manchester City takes back the top spot in the Premier League.

Ivan Toney making up for lost time

Back in May 2023, Ivan Toney was hit with an eight-month ban from playing football after pleading guilty to breaking the Football Association’s betting rules. Toney was charged with 262 breaches of the FA’s Rule E8.

“We consider this matter closed and look forward to welcoming Ivan back to training in September and seeing him representing Brentford in the Premier League in January,” Brentford stated.

The 27-year-old paid his dues and made his way back to the field during their Matchday 21 win against Nottingham Forest, where Toney wasn’t at all bashful and struck the first goal for his side in minute 19.

Toney also scored during their 3-2 loss to Tottenham last week, and with that, he has now scored a goal in both of his appearances for the Bees this season.

It’s clear that the Bees missed Toney’s production to start the 2023–24 season. Brentford are currently 15th in the league table, only three points above the relegation zone. But with the services of Toney back on the table for Thomas Frank, they could have a convincing tail-end run to finish their campaign.

The only question now is if it’s a little too late for the lowly Bees.

History

The Bees spend most of their time competing in the Championship, which is why Brentford and Manchester City have only faced each other four times since 2021.

Surprisingly, Brentford have managed to split their head-to-head matchups with the Sky Blues with two wins each.

In fact, Brentford won their most recent matchup back in May of last year with a stunning 1-0 score line.

Although, in recent form, Manchester City pose a stark contrast to Brentford this season. The Sky Blues are in the upper echelon of the league, while the Bees are still in danger of relegation, with just three points above the relegation zone.

Betting Tip

With Erling Haaland back in business, the Sky Blues are once again the most potent offence in the English top flight. Which is why my betting tip is total goals over 3.00 at 1.95.

With a complete roster, Pep’s offence can produce the most potent offence in the entire Premier League, and facing a struggling Brentford defence would showcase City’s goal-scoring abilities to the fullest.

Haaland already had a game under him since his return, shaking away the rust and jitters. He should be poised to widen his lead in the Premier League Golden Boot race moving forward.

Another line to consider is the Asian Handicap of Manchester City -1.25 at 1.91. The Sky Blues are the heavy favourites to win the contest at 1.37, but it’s understandable if punters won’t be that enticed by it given that 1.37 doesn’t hold that much value.

Instead, City’s Asian Handicap of -1.25 at 1.91 poses much more value and excitement, and the fact that Pep’s squad is back to its full strength, a handicap of -1.25 doesn’t seem too lofty of an ask for the Sky Blues, especially against a struggling Brentford squad.

 

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