Manchester City vs Brentford live: Team news and line-ups ahead of Carabao Cup quarter-final | OneFootball

Pep Guardiola cuts a frustrated figure on the touchline as City are beaten by Leverkusen (Reuters)

Manchester City face Brentford at the Etihad tonight in the quarter-finals of the Carabao Cup, with both clubs looking to take one step closer to the first cup final of the season.

Pep Guardiola has won this tournament four times during his spell in charge of City but he has said that he will make changes for this game, with the club’s recent run of form having taken them within two points of Arsenal at the top of the Premier League.

City will likely prioritise the league and the Champions League in a season where their form has been mixed at times, and while recent wins over Real Madrid and Crystal Palace mean they are one of the form teams in the country, a much-changed starting XI will be wary of the threat carried by Brentford.

Brentford side have been struggling under Keith Andrews in the Premier League this term and are currently sitting in 15th, though in Igor Thiago they possess one of the country's in-form strikers, and he’ll have to be on top form if the Bees want to take a huge step towards a first major cup final in their history.

City just do, Arsenal think: Inside the psychology of the Premier League title race

Despite the scenes of celebration on the pitch, and the fact they were staying top of the league, the Arsenal dressing room had nowhere near the same feel of victory after the late 2–1 win over Wolverhampton Wanderers. You might have thought the leaders had lost. Arteta told the media the performance was way below the standards required, but he had already said it in far stronger terms to the players.

You can understand the concern, and there is reason for Arsenal to be worried now. Their performances have abruptly dropped – quite badly – while Manchester City have returned to imperious form.

Chris Wilson17 December 2025 18:50

'Some unfamiliar names on both benches'

Some reaction to the team news from Richard Jolly at the Etihad:

“Seven changes for Pep Guardiola, with only Nico O'Reilly, Nico Gonzalez, Tijjani Reijnders and Rayan Cherki staying in.

“It might have been more changes were Rayan Ait-Nouri and Omar Marmoush not at Afcon. Brentford make six changes.

“There are some unfamiliar names on both benches; some familiar ones, too, in Erling Haaland, Phil Foden, Bernardo Silva and co, so Guardiola can call upon the cavalry if required.”

Team news

The line-ups should be released in the next few minutes, so here’s a reminder of the early team news...

Pep Guardiola has promised plenty of changes to his starting line-up, though he’ll have some absences to contend with too.

Winger Jeremy Doku will presumably face a late fitness test after missing the match against Palace with a leg injury, though Guardiola did not elaborate on the extent of the issue, so the Belgian could miss more matches.

Omar Marmoush and Rayan Ait-Nouri will be absent for the hosts due to Afcon, with both making a return at some point in January. This match will likely come too soon for Rodri and John Stones, both of whom are expected back closer to Christmas, while Mateo Kovacic remains the club’s only long-term injury absentee.

For Brentford, Joshua Dasilva, Antoni Milambo and Fabio Carvalho are the long-term absentees, while Dango Ouattara and Frank Onyeka are missing due to Afcon duty.

Kevin Schade is suspended and will return for the weekend Premier League game, while Reiss Nelson will be assessed but this match should come a little too soon for the attacker.