The draw against Mauricio Pochettino’s men stunted an 11-game winning streak for City, who slipped further behind Liverpool and Arsenal in the title race. Currently trailing leaders Liverpool by four points, the European champions could cut the gap at the top to just one point with a win over Brentford this evening.
It won’t be an easy task against the Bees though, as City found out in the reverse fixture just two weeks ago. The Blues required a Phil Foden hat-trick to come from behind against Thomas Frank’s side, who happen to have a decent record against City since being promoted to the Premier League.
Brentford won both of their encounters against City last season, including a dramatic 2-1 triumph at the Etihad Stadium back in November 2022. Ivan Toney scored in the 98th minute of the fixture to give Brentford three points, with the English marksman having been in fine form himself since returning from suspension.
A goal against Liverpool at the weekend took his tally to four from five matches this season, with Toney displaying the quality that had led some to suggest he could make England’s 2022 World Cup squad. And with the March international break fast approaching ahead of the summer’s European Championships, Toney will be looking to send yet another message to Gareth Southgate – starting with a strong showing against the treble-winners tonight.
But for those in the UK who aren’t in attendance at the Etihad Stadium, there is no way of watching the match, because it isn’t being broadcast on British television. As this fixture was originally scheduled during the period City were away on Club World Cup duty, none of Sky Sports, TNT Sports or Amazon Prime Video decided to pick the game.
As a result, the fixture won’t be broadcast in the UK, causing yet more outrage for football fans. Supporters who sign up to all of the Premier League subscriptions are said to pay upwards of £1,000 per year – a hefty amount, especially considering many matches aren’t broadcast on TV.
That is said to be changing from 2025 onwards, with all matches that fall outside the Premier League’s 3pm blackout expected to be televised. It will mean viewers will have access to dozens more matches per season, but unfortunately, that won’t impact tonight’s clash, with City vs Brentford only available on TV for fans abroad.
