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

Pep Guardiola has made seven changes to the side that beat Crystal Palace last week, with wholesale changes in each area of the pitch. James Trafford replaces Gianluigi Donnarumma in goal, while three defensive changes see Rico Lewis, Abdukodir Khusanov and Nathan Ake come in for Matheus Nunes, Ruben Dias and Josko Gvardiol.

Oscar Bobb replaces Bernardo Silva in midfield, while Phil Foden and Erling Haaland drop out of the attack in favour of Savinho and Divine Mukasa.

Man City XI: Trafford, Lewis, Khusanov, Ake (C), O’Reilly, Nico, Reijnders, Bobb, Cherki, Savinho, Mukasa.

Subs: Donnarumma, Dias, Haaland, Bernardo, Gvardiol, Nunes, Foden, Gray, Mfuni

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.

Manchester City are still awaiting the verdict of an independent hearing after the club were charged with more than 100 breaches of the Premier League’s financial rules in February 2023.

City welcomed the review when they were first charged in February 2023 and say there is “irrefutable evidence” that proves their innocence.

The game at the Etihad Stadium comes just 72 hours after City were made to battle for a hard-fought 3-0 win away against Crystal Palace to maintain their Premier League pursuit of Arsenal.

Guardiola’s side, who also beat Real Madrid 2-1 in the Bernabeu last week, face five league matches between December 20 and January 7, and with the title race likely to intensify in the new year, the visit of the Bees is seen as a moment for rest and rotation.

The match is scheduled to take place on Wednesday, 17 December at the Etihad Stadium in Manchester. Kick-off is set for 7.30pm GMT.

Viewers in the UK can watch the match live on Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Ultra HDR, with coverage starting at 7pm GMT. Subscribers can also stream the action online via NOWTV.

The match is scheduled to take place on Wednesday, 17 December at the Etihad Stadium in Manchester. Kick-off is set for 7.30pm GMT.

Viewers in the UK can watch the match live on Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Ultra HDR, with coverage starting at 7pm GMT. Subscribers can also stream the action online via NOWTV.

Man City XI: Donnarumma; Nunes, Khusanov, Gvardiol, Ake; Lewis, Gonzalez, Reijnders; Savinho, Haaland, Foden.

Brentford XI: Kelleher; Kayode, Collins, van den Berg, Hickey; Henderson, Janelt; Damsgaard, Jensen, Lewis-Potter; Thiago.

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.

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.