Manchester City vs Brentford Preview, prediction, lineups, betting tips & odds | EFL Cup 2025-26 Quarter-Final

The Cityzens have already defeated the Bees once this season.

Manchester City are all set to battle it out against Brentford for their quarterfinal contest of the 2025-26 EFL Cup. This is going to be an interesting outing, which is going to take place at the Etihad Stadium.

The Cityzens will be confident at home, having already beaten Brentford once this season and now looking to complete a double over them. The Pep Guardiola-led Man City dominated their proceedings against Crystal Palace in their Premier League contest and will be keen to continue their form here.

Brentford have failed to secure a positive outcome in their last three games. The upcoming contest is going to be a tough one for them.

They will be away from home, and a change in strategy might help them out here. The Bees have lacked consistency, which can become a problem for them going forward.

Kick-off:

• Location: Manchester, England
• Stadium: Etihad Stadium
• Date: Thursday, December 18
• Kick-off Time: 01:00 a.m. IST (Wednesday, Dec 17; 07:30 p.m. GMT/ 02:30 p.m. ET/ 11:30 a.m. PT)
• Referee: Samuel Barrott
• VAR: Not in use

Form:

Man City: W-W-W-W-W

Brentford: L-W-L-L-D

Players to Watch

Erling Haaland (Man City)

The Norwegian forward is in top form and will be ready to lead his side in the attacking front yet again. He is coming in after scoring a brace in Manchester City’s previous league game. It was a top performance by Erling Haaland. He will now be keen to find the net in the EFL Cup fixture.

Inevitable 😤✨ @erlinghaaland pic.twitter.com/6HTK9Tzhjx

— Manchester City (@ManCity) December 14, 2025

Jordan Henderson (Brentford)

Jordan Henderson scored an important goal for the Bees, which helped them secure a draw against Leeds United in their previous Premier League match. He will yet again look to play an important role for Brentford, but now in the Carabao Cup. Henderson can regulate the ball well in the midfield and can score goals as well.

Match Facts

• Manchester City are on a five-match winning run.
• Brentford have only won one of their last five matches.
• The Cityzens have won four of their last five games against the Bees.

Man City vs Brentford: Betting Tips and Odds

• Manchester City to win @2/5 Ladbrokes
• Erling Haaland to score @11/20 BetMGM
• Goals under 3.5 @4/7 BetFred

Injury and Team News

Jeremy Doku, John Stones and Mateo Kovacic are not going to be in action for Manchester City. They are injured.

Rodri will not be in action due to a lack of fitness. Omar Marmoush and Rayan Ait Nouri might also miss out due to their national team duties.

Brentford are going to miss out on the services of Fabio Carvalho and Joshua Dasilva. They are injured. Reiss Nelson is likely to sit out due to fitness issues.

Head-to-Head

Total matches: 22

Man City won: 13

Brentford won: 7

Draws: 2

Predicted Lineups

Man City predicted lineup (4-3-2-1)

Trafford (GK); Nunes, Dias, Gvardiol, O’Reilly; Reijnders, Gonzalez, Lewis; Cherki, Foden; Haaland

Brentford predicted lineup (4-2-3-1)

Kelleher (GK); Kayode, Collins, Van den Berg, Hickey; Henderson, Janelt; Ouattara, Jensen, Leiws-Potter; Thiago

Match Prediction

Neither of these clubs can afford to face a defeat. We predict it will be Manchester City. They are likely to secure a win against Brentford in their upcoming EFL Cup clash.

Prediction: Man City 2-1 Brentford

Telecast Details

India: FanCode

UK: Sky Sports Football

US: Paramount+

Nigeria: SuperSport

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