Man City vs Brentford Predictions and Picks: Can Bees Find Offense at Etihad?

Man City's title chances took a hit over the weekend but they can put the pressure back on Liverpool with a convincing win on Tuesday. Find out where the betting value lies for this standalone Tuesday fixture in our EPL betting picks below.

Sam Farley - Betting Analyst at Covers.com
Sam Farley • Betting Analyst
Feb 19, 2024 • 10:35 ET • 4 min read
Ivan Toney
Photo By - USA TODAY Sports

Tuesday, February 20 sees a big Premier League game dotted in with European action in the shape of Manchester City vs. Brentford, and we have the soccer picks you need for the game.

This is a rescheduled fixture that was due to take place at the end of the last year but now returns to the schedule with City in need of three points. 

It looked like this game would allow Man City to leapfrog Liverpool at the top of the table but such is no longer the case after Liverpool beat Brentford and City drew with Chelsea over the weekend.

They can’t lose further ground and they need to win to put the pressure back on Liverpool. Don’t miss our Man City vs. Brentford free betting picks below.

Man City vs Brentford best odds

EPL predictions for Man City vs Brentford

In a week featuring massive European games, this fixture could have a real impact on the destination of the Premier League trophy this summer. Liverpool just beat this side while Man City drew to Chelsea, and now Pep Guardiola’s men have to pick up three points at home to the London team or they might struggle to keep pace at the top of the table.

For all the talk of the top of the Premier League, we also need to consider the bottom and the fact Brentford are just six points off 18th-placed Everton, who play on Monday. That’s a real concern and although you’d feel they should be safe — especially with the return of Ivan Toney just weeks ago — there should still be some concern.

With Ivan Toney back in the red and white stripes of Brentford and Man City’s team being packed with big-name superstars, there’s one thing we can rely on and that is goals. That's why I'm backing both teams to score at -102.

Firstly, the home side. This Man City team is simply electric when at its best, which is what they’ve started to be in the past 4-6 weeks. They’ve scored 57 goals in 24 Premier League games, comfortably more than 2.0 per game, a ratio that increases to 30 goals in 12 games at home. 

This is a team that has Erling Haaland on 16 Premier League goals in just 19 games in addition to both Phil Foden and Julian Alvarez just shy of double digits. The firepower at their disposal is immense and with City scoring in all but two Premier League games this season, we should be confident in them doing their part, just as they've done in every home game this season.

Brentford — despite sitting 14th in the Premier League table — has 35 goals in the Premier League this season, the second highest in the bottom half, and they did that largely without their talisman Ivan Toney, who is only recently back from a suspension. 

In five games since Toney returned, he's scored four goals and the team has scored nine. We’ve also seen this play cash in four of those given games, including when these two teams met in the Gtech Community Stadium earlier this month.

It's cashed in 66.7% of Brentford’s games in the Premier League this season and given City are allowing more than a goal per game (26 goals in 24 games), we can expect to see the Bees find the back of the net at least once.

My best bet: Both teams to score (-102 at TonyBet)

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Man City vs Brentford same-game parlay

Both teams to score: Yes

Man City to win

Man City Under 3 cards

In addition to the prediction of both teams to score, we’re also going for two further legs, the first of which is for Man City to win.

Before their draw to Chelsea at the weekend, they were on an 11-game winning streak that had won them the Club World Cup and pushed them up the Premier League table. They’re still a brilliant team and one bad performance doesn’t change that. We also have to remember these teams met earlier this month in a game in which both teams scored but was ultimately won 3-1 in Man City's favor.

The final leg is Man City to have Under 3 cards. Man City have the second-best disciplinary record in the Premier League so far this season, with just 41 cards across 24 Premier League games.

In their 12 games at Etihad, they’ve earned just 20 cards. When these teams met just three weeks ago, Man City didn’t pick up a single one. In a game they should win, we should see them avoid many bookings and certainly not three or more.

Learn how to bet a same-game parlay with these helpful tips and strategies.

Man City vs Brentford side and Over/Under analysis

Man City are favorites for a reason and are almost certain to win this one but odds of -477 are very restrictive and not worth backing unless it’s in a parlay or SGP. That said, it’s hard to see anything but three points for Guardiola’s team and neither draw at +640 or Brentford win at +1,200 appeal either.

We’ve covered both teams to score above and we should expect goals. You can get Over 2.5 goals at -239 with Under at +200. We’ve seen Over 2.5 goals in 54.5% of Brentford’s road games this season and in seven of their last eight games in total, including the 4-1 thumping by Liverpool this weekend.

Over 2.5 goals has landed in 66.7% of Man City’s games this season. The Over should land but with Brentford in good goalscoring form, you’re going to get far better value by backing both teams to score instead of the Over. 

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Man City vs Brentford game info

Location: Etihad Stadium, Manchester, England
Date: Tuesday, February 20, 2024
Time: 2:30 p.m. ET
TV: USA Network
Weather: Cloudy conditions, 46F.

Man City vs Brentford key injuries

Man City: Josko Gvardiol CB (Out), Jack Grealish LW (Questionable).
Brentford: Rico Henry LB (Out), Bryan Mbuemo FWR (Out), Aaron Hickey FB (Out), Kevin Schade FWR (Out), Josh Dasilva CM (Out).

Man City vs Brentford recent league form

Teams Recent Premier League Form
Man City Man City W-W-D-W-L
Brentford Brentford L-L-L-L-L

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Betting Analyst

Sam is based in the United Kingdom, where he grew up living and breathing soccer, before discovering - and playing - a different kind of football at the University of Bristol. He’s worked in the media covering soccer and the NFL for the better part of a decade, and has been a regular on the Matchbook NFL Podcast. His work has also appeared in a wide range of publications including The Telegraph, The Independent, VICE, and MSN.

The search for great betting value is a daily one, and Sam always hunts out big prices with a particular focus on player props. Sam’s best advice for bettors is to track their bets on a spreadsheet, that way you can keep an eye on your P&L but also the types of bets and sports that you are most successful in. He also recommends using a variety of different sportsbooks, with bet365, Betfair and Paddy Power amongst his favorites.

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