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Manchester City aim to keep their title hopes alive on Saturday (17:30 BST) against a Brentford side with designs on reaching Europe. BBC Sport explores some of the key themes around this fixture.
It's still tight at the top…
It's rare for a team to score a 97th-minute equaliser and then finish the game feeling deflated, but that is exactly what happened to Manchester City at Hill Dickinson Stadium on Monday night.
Jeremy Doku's excellent injury-time effort salvaged a potentially decisive point for Pep Guardiola's side in a pulsating 3-3 draw with Everton. However, it felt more like a case of two points dropped for City, who are five behind leaders Arsenal with a game in hand.
Despite that setback the equation remains simple for City and their quest for the title. Win this weekend and then hope Arsenal drop points at West Ham on Sunday, or at some stage during the run-in.
Goal difference could also be a defining factor at the end of the season and therefore a handsome victory on Saturday evening would be welcomed by all connected to City. They have found the net at least twice in 13 of their past 15 top-flight outings at the Etihad but goals have not flowed freely for them in this fixture.
City have scored just 13 times in nine Premier League meetings with Brentford and their average of 1.4 goals per game versus Saturday's opponents is their lowest total against any top-flight team during Guardiola's reign.
[BBC]
Bees dreaming of European debut
Brentford were earmarked for relegation at the start of this season by many but have instead defied expectations in head coach Keith Andrews' debut season. The Irishman is now well positioned to lead his side into Europe for the first time in their 137-year history.
The Bees have a 1% chance of finishing inside the top five according to Opta – with seven points the gap to fifth and only nine left to play for – but they start this weekend only one point behind sixth-placed Bournemouth.
Seventh and even eighth should be enough for a European berth but sixth would guarantee entry into one of Europe's major competitions and could yet yield a Champions League spot if Aston Villa win the Europa League and finish fifth.
[BBC]
Golden Boot contenders face each other
Another subplot encapsulated within this fixture is the race for the Premier League Golden Boot.
City's Erling Haaland is favourite to claim his third such title and the Norwegian is three goals clear of Brentford striker Igor Thiago at the top of the charts.
The Brazilian's 22 goals have come from just 79 shots, which gives him a 27.9% conversion rate. In other words, he averages a goal roughly every four attempts.
Of the 67 players to have scored 20 or more in a top-flight season since 2003-04, only four have done so with a better conversion rate than the 24-year-old – Yaya Toure in 2013-14, Jamie Vardy in 2017-18, Chris Wood last season and Haaland himself in 2022-23.
Continue reading...
It's still tight at the top…
It's rare for a team to score a 97th-minute equaliser and then finish the game feeling deflated, but that is exactly what happened to Manchester City at Hill Dickinson Stadium on Monday night.
Jeremy Doku's excellent injury-time effort salvaged a potentially decisive point for Pep Guardiola's side in a pulsating 3-3 draw with Everton. However, it felt more like a case of two points dropped for City, who are five behind leaders Arsenal with a game in hand.
Despite that setback the equation remains simple for City and their quest for the title. Win this weekend and then hope Arsenal drop points at West Ham on Sunday, or at some stage during the run-in.
Goal difference could also be a defining factor at the end of the season and therefore a handsome victory on Saturday evening would be welcomed by all connected to City. They have found the net at least twice in 13 of their past 15 top-flight outings at the Etihad but goals have not flowed freely for them in this fixture.
City have scored just 13 times in nine Premier League meetings with Brentford and their average of 1.4 goals per game versus Saturday's opponents is their lowest total against any top-flight team during Guardiola's reign.
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[BBC]
Bees dreaming of European debut
Brentford were earmarked for relegation at the start of this season by many but have instead defied expectations in head coach Keith Andrews' debut season. The Irishman is now well positioned to lead his side into Europe for the first time in their 137-year history.
The Bees have a 1% chance of finishing inside the top five according to Opta – with seven points the gap to fifth and only nine left to play for – but they start this weekend only one point behind sixth-placed Bournemouth.
Seventh and even eighth should be enough for a European berth but sixth would guarantee entry into one of Europe's major competitions and could yet yield a Champions League spot if Aston Villa win the Europa League and finish fifth.
You must be registered for see images attach
[BBC]
Golden Boot contenders face each other
Another subplot encapsulated within this fixture is the race for the Premier League Golden Boot.
City's Erling Haaland is favourite to claim his third such title and the Norwegian is three goals clear of Brentford striker Igor Thiago at the top of the charts.
The Brazilian's 22 goals have come from just 79 shots, which gives him a 27.9% conversion rate. In other words, he averages a goal roughly every four attempts.
Of the 67 players to have scored 20 or more in a top-flight season since 2003-04, only four have done so with a better conversion rate than the 24-year-old – Yaya Toure in 2013-14, Jamie Vardy in 2017-18, Chris Wood last season and Haaland himself in 2022-23.
You must be registered for see images
Continue reading...
