1-2 to 0-1! Manchester City kicked the nemesis again, Guardiola + Haaland was blocked, and the Premier League title competition was too intense

At 4 o'clock in the morning on February 6, Beijing time, the 23rd round of the English Premier League ushered in a key battle, Manchester City challenged Brentford away. Before the game, Liverpool and Arsenal had a strong matchup, and in the end, Arsenal won, which was a big favor for Manchester City. With two games in hand, Manchester City are expected to overtake Liverpool and Pep Guardiola is keen to take the initiative into his own hands. However, this time against Brentford's nemesis, Manchester City does not know if they can pass the test smoothly.

Before the game, Manchester City ranked 3rd in the Premier League and Brentford ranked 15th in the Premier League, and the difference in strength between the two teams was obvious. However, City were beaten twice by the Bees in the two-legged meeting last season, with Brentford being one of only four teams to beat Manchester City in the Premier League last season and the only team to do so (1-2 and 0-1). There is no doubt that this is City's chance for revenge, but Pep Guardiola still has to be careful with this evil star.

Recent form, Manchester City have won four consecutive Premier League games, Brentford have lost six of their last seven games and conceded all of their last 11 games. In terms of personnel, City are injury-free, with Erling Haaland and Kevin De Bruyne both featured, but on the other side, Brentford are seriously injured and Visa, Onyeka and Gudos are involved in international competition. The total value of Manchester City's team is 1.26 billion euros, and the total value of Brentford's team is 400 million euros.

Despite City's strength advantage, be wary of Brentford rebounding. He has never lost three consecutive Premier League games to the same opponent since Pep Guardiola took charge. In addition, Manchester City are away from home, having come from behind in their last three away games. Crucially, Haaland also underperformed against Brentford, with the Bees the only team in the Premier League who were not breached by Haaland.

Fortunately, Pep Guardiola is not the only good player for Haaland. Alvarez and Kevin De Bruyne have key roles to play, with the former scoring seven goals in his last seven matches. Kevin De Bruyne, who has returned from injury, will also be given the most assists in all competitions since last season (32, at least eight more than any other Premier League player). Of course, Pep Guardiola still has to defend well, because Ivan Toney, who has returned to the field, has also played well recently.

Don't look at the opponent Brentford, Guardiola does not dare to underestimate it, because the competition for the Premier League title this season is too fierce, and any loss of points may lead to the loss of the title. Now, Manchester City has some initiative, 5 points behind Liverpool in 2 games less, and will complete the overtake if they win all of them.

The February schedule is a bit easier for Manchester City, but heading into March, the Blues will face Manchester United, Liverpool and Arsenal. There may be some clues during this time, and this is also the month that determines the ownership of the championship.