Trafford, Lewis And Ake To Start | 4-3-2-1 Manchester City Predicted Lineup Vs Brentford | OneFootball

Manchester City will entertain Brentford at the Etihad Stadium this Wednesday night as they look to earn a positive result at home in the EFL Cup. The Mancunian giants managed to secure an impressive 3-0 win away at Crystal Palace recently, which should keep them in good spirits ahead of this game.

Pep Guardiola will set his side up in a 4-2-3-1 formation and is expected to make a lot of changes to his first XI for this clash. James Trafford, Rico Lewis and Nathan Ake could all play from the start of this game.

4-3-2-1 Manchester City Predicted Lineup To Face Brentford

Defence

James Trafford will feature in between the sticks for Man City as he looks to keep a clean sheet at the Etihad. Abdukodir Khusanov will function alongside Nathan Ake at the centre of the Man City backline as they hope to keep a solid shape on the defensive end of the field.

Rico Lewis will fill in as the right-back, while Nico O’Reilly hopes to give a good account of himself on the other side as the left-back. Both of them will get the freedom to go forward and express themselves inside the opponent’s half.

Josko Gvardiol and Ruben Dias will provide cover for the defensive positions on the bench.

LONDON, ENGLAND – DECEMBER 14: Erling Haaland of Mancheater City applauds fans during the Premier League match between Crystal Palace and Manchester City at Selhurst Park on December 14, 2025 in London, England. (Photo by Alex Pantling/Getty Images)

Midfield

Tijjani Reijnders, Bernardo Silva and Oscar Bobb will play as the central midfielders for Man City. Their main focus would be to establish their superiority over the opposition at the centre of the park.

Both Savinho and Rayan Cherki will get a chance to impress as Guardiola’s attacking midfielders as they look to create some inviting chances in and around the opponent’s penalty area.

Phil Foden and Divine Mukasa will have to settle for a place on the bench and might come on to make an impact in the second 45 minutes if required.

Attack

Erling Haaland will lead the charge for the Mancunian giants up top. He managed to score a brace against Crystal Palace last weekend, so he would be full of confidence heading into this cup game.

Omar Marmoush is unavailable for this game due to his involvement in the African Cup of Nations. Furthermore, Jeremy Doku will be sidelined for this clash due to a leg injury.