Manchester City News: Erling Haaland Eyes Start as Manuel Akanji Doubtful for Brentford Clash

Manchester City will be in action this Thursday as they travel south to face Brentford at the Gtech Community Stadium. The defending champions have picked up steam and will look to close the gap with table-toppers Liverpool, who at the time of this writing are trailing 2-1 to Arsenal. A win over Thomas Frank’s Brentford would be the step in the right direction, with the Cityzens chasing their fourth consecutive league title. The side will be boosted with their talisman Erling Haaland who came back to action after injury in the last match vs Burnley. He is very likely to be in the starting eleven against the Bees.

This will be the first game since August 2023, where Manchester City will have all their players up for selection. However, despite boasting a full squad, certain names could be rested for the fixtures considering their recent injury issues. Manchester City would want nothing more than to bag three points at the end of the final whistle and we are likely to see Pep Guardiola’s men at their best this Monday.

Manchester City Injury Updates

Manuel Akanji: The defender is expected to make his comeback in the coming weeks after recovering from his injury last month. Akanji had to be taken off the field during the team’s FA Cup clash against Huddersfield. Pep Guardiola provided an update on the Swiss star in his press conference, claiming that the player had recovered from his knee injury. Nonetheless, we believe that the Spaniard might hold off on starting the player this week as he has yet to reach the needed fitness levels. And he may not be the only defender who will have to wait.

Kevin De Bruyne: The Belgian playmaker made a dream return to the Premier League last month helping the Cityzens bag a 3-2 win against Newcastle away from home. While Newcastle was leading even after the hour mark, De Bruyne came off the bench and just like that, turned the game around with a goal and an assist to earn his team 3 points. Such is the ability of the Belgian playmaker and that night was a reminder of what Guardiola was missing. However, he has yet to start for the club since returning from injury.

Pep Guardiola could make room for him against Brentford, with the midfielder putting on showcase performances one after another.

Erling Haaland: Manchester City’s goal-scoring machine will be back in action this Monday. Haaland made a brief cameo off the bench against Burnley but failed to find the back of the net. The striker will be eager to hit the ground running and find his groove. Guardiola all but confirmed the striker’s return in his press conference, stating the player is ready to start.

READ MORE: Brentford vs Manchester City: Expected Lineups, Predictions, Odds, Head to Head Stats, Streaming & How to Watch

John Stones: The Englishman is unlikely to get the nod this week. Stones came back from an ankle injury last week, starting against Burnley but is reportedly still to reach optimal fitness levels. The defender has done a great job playing as a defensive midfielder this season and might have to settle for minutes off the bench for the upcoming weeks.

So that wraps up the list of returning players. At the time of writing, Arsenal is less than 10 minutes away from beating Liverpool. Should they win, Manchester City can close the gap to 2 points by beating Brentford. What’s even better? City will also have a game in hand, having played 21 games as of now while Liverpool is playing their 23rd fixture. So if all things go the way Guardiola and Co’s way, City could soon be atop the table again.

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