Manchester City welcome Brentford to the Etihad Stadium this evening for a crucial Carabao Cup quarter-final clash, with a place in the season's first domestic semi-final on the line.
Match Details and How to Watch
The fixture is set for Wednesday, 17 December 2025, at the Etihad Stadium in Manchester. The kick-off time is 7.30pm GMT.
For viewers in the United Kingdom, the match will be broadcast live on Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Ultra HDR. Coverage begins at 7pm GMT. Subscribers can also stream the action online via the Sky Go app or through NOWTV. If you are not a Sky customer, you can purchase a NOWTV Day Pass to access the live stream without a subscription.
Team News and Predicted Line-ups
Pep Guardiola's Manchester City are in formidable form, having recently secured victories over Real Madrid and Crystal Palace. However, they face some selection headaches. Winger Jeremy Doku is a doubt after missing the Palace match with a leg injury and faces a late fitness test. The club is also without Omar Marmoush and Rayan Ait-Nouri due to African Cup of Nations duty.
Rodri and John Stones are not expected back until closer to Christmas, while Mateo Kovacic remains a long-term absentee. Guardiola is likely to rotate his squad for this cup tie.
Brentford, managed by Keith Andrews, are languishing in 15th place in the Premier League but will hope to capitalise on any City rotation. The Bees have significant absentees: Joshua Dasilva, Antoni Milambo and Fabio Carvalho are out long-term, while Dango Ouattara and Frank Onyeka are at Afcon. Kevin Schade is suspended, and Reiss Nelson will be assessed but may not be ready in time.
Predicted Manchester City XI: Donnarumma; Nunes, Khusanov, Gvardiol, Ake; Lewis, Gonzalez, Reijnders; Savinho, Haaland, Foden.
Predicted Brentford XI: Kelleher; Kayode, Collins, van den Berg, Hickey; Henderson, Janelt; Damsgaard, Jensen, Lewis-Potter; Thiago.
Context and Expectations
Manchester City, fresh from important wins in Europe and the league, will be confident of progressing in a competition they have dominated under Guardiola, having won the League Cup four times since 2018. They currently sit just two points behind Arsenal at the Premier League summit.
Despite their league struggles, Brentford will be wary of the threat posed by a potentially changed City side and will dream of causing an upset at the Etihad to reach a major semi-final. All the action unfolds tonight as both teams battle for a coveted spot in the last four of the Carabao Cup.
