Manchester City vs Brentford Prediction: Carabao Cup - Who Is Bold Enough For The Semi-finals?

Manchester City vs Brentford: Prediction for the Match on December 17, 2025

The iconic Etihad Stadium is set to host an entertaining Carabao Cup quarter-final clash between two English Premier League sides, Manchester City and Brentford.

This is the second meeting between these two sides this season. Manchester City have the advantage after cruising to a 1-0 away league victory. Who's going to come out on top? Let us check out the match preview, team news, and betting odds to place your bets!

Manchester City: Form and Statistics

Manchester City comes into this clash aiming to build on their 3-0 away league victory over Crystal Palace on Sunday. Erling Haaland scored twice, and Phil Foden once. Thanks to that result, they remain on the coattails of league leaders Arsenal with a three-point deficit.

One can not deny that the Citizens are starting to show ominous signs of finding their feet. They are riding a five-match winning streak across all competitions. This comes after back-to-back losses against Newcastle United in the Premier League and Bayer Leverkusen in the UEFA Champions League (league phase).

Pep Guardiola's men are in the quarter-finals of the Carabao Cup after rallying from behind to win 3-1 against the Championship side Swansea in the fourth round. It has been a great run thus far, winning their last two matches in this tournament. Their objective in the current edition: lift the trophy and avenge last season's blunder, which resulted in a fourth-round exit after a setback against Tottenham Hotspur in the capital. 

Manchester City: Team News

For a side that has been reliant on Erling Haaland for goals this season. The goal-scoring machine will be hungry to get on the scoreboard and lead his side to success. There's no stopping him at the moment, having been involved in six goal involvements in his last four games.

Expect a major reshuffle of the starting lineup that won over the weekend. Goalie James Trafford, making his fourth appearance for the club this season, has been included in the starting lineup. The Uzbek international Abdukodir Khusanov is at the heart of defense, and supporting him is Nathan Ake.

Manchester City have five players in the injury room. Jeremy Doku, Mateo Kovacic, Rodri, John Stones, and Ryan McAidoo are all sidelined.

🔖 Probable Starting XI (4-2-3-1): Trafford; Lewis, Khusanov, Ake, O'Reilly; Reijnders, Mukasa; Bobb, Cherki, Savinho; Haaland.

⛔️ Out: Jeremy Doku (leg injury), Mateo Kovacic (heel injury), Rodri (thigh injury), John Stones (injury), and Ryan McAidoo (injury).

👤 Head coach: Pep Guardiola.

Brentford: Form and Statistics

Brentford, on the other hand, are going through a rough patch. The visitors have failed to give a good account of themselves in the past weeks. In fact, they are winless in their last three matches.

After suffering two successive 2-0 league defeats against Arsenal and Tottenham, the team stopped the rot over the weekend when they salvaged a point in a drab 1-1 draw against Leeds United. The result could have been catastrophic if it weren't for their opponents' profligacy in the final third.

The Bees are hoping for redemption in the Carabao Cup. Indeed, they are unbeaten in their last three matches in this competition (W2, D1), including a 5-0 mauling of Grimsby. However, redeeming themselves won't be easy considering their opponents in this impending encounter. History is not on their side in this fixture, especially at this venue where they've won just two of their last ten meetings (L8).

Brentford: Team News

Brentford will be without their biggest summer transfer window signing, Dango Ouattara, who has joined up with his national team, Burkina Faso, for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations.

Another player that's set to miss out is Frank Onyeka. The midfielder will represent Nigeria in the same competition as Ouattara.

Head coach Keith Andrews currently has four players in the injury room. This includes Antoni Milambo, Josh Dasilva, Fabio Carvalho, and Reiss Nelson.

🔖 Probable Starting XI (4-2-3-1): Kelleher; Kayode, Collins, van den Berg, Henry; Henderson, Yarmoliuk; Schade, Damsgaard, Lewis-Potter; Thiago.

⛔️ Out: Antoni Milambo (knee injury), Josh Dasilva (knee injury), Fabio Carvalho (knee injury), Reiss Nelson (knock).

👤 Head coach: Keith Andrews.

Manchester City vs Brentford: Head-to-Head Statistics

In the last 19 meetings, Manchester City have won 11 times, Brentford have won 6 times, and there have been 2 draws. The goal difference is 31-21 in favor of Manchester City. 

Manchester City vs Brentford: Betting Tips and Odds

• Manchester City have scored three or more goals in four of their last five matches across all competitions. You can bet on over 2.5 Manchester City goals for 2.3 at 1xbet.
• Brentford have failed to score in three of their last four away matches. You can bet on under 0.5 Brentford goals for 2.16 at Betway.
• Manchester City have scored in both halves in four of their last five matches. You can bet on Manchester City to score in both halves for 2.00 at Bet365.
• Brentford have seen four of their last five matches produce over 9 corners. You can bet on over 9 corners for 1.61 at Bet365.

Manchester City vs Brentford Match Prediction 17 December 2025

Manchester City are favorites to win here, given their superior record in this fixture. The Citizens have been impressive at home this season, having won nine of their last ten matches. They covered the -1.5 handicap in eight of those outings, and I'm confident they are capable of doing so here.

It has been four years since Brentford last progressed beyond the quarter-finals of the Carabao Cup. Their chances of doing so and making a second appearance are slim. They face a powerhouse in English football, and if history is anything to go by, I don't see them getting out of this one unscathed.

It's worth noting that the visitors have lost four consecutive away matches. They lost by a two-goal margin in three of those outings. That being said, I'm supporting Manchester City to cover the -1.5 Asian Handicap spread.

Our match prediction: Handicap 1 (-1.5) for a coefficient of 2.10 in the 1xbet bookmaker.

Our betting tip on the match: Both Teams To Score - No for a coefficient of 1.95 in the Bet365 bookmaker.

Our final betting tip on the match: Correct Score - Manchester City 3:0 Brentford for a coefficient of 7.80 in the Betway bookmaker.