City aim to extend six-game unbeaten run at Brentford

Manchester City will look to extend a six-match unbeaten run when they visit Brentford at the Gtech Community Stadium on Sunday, October 5, with kickoff scheduled for 4.30pm BST. The fixture comes three days after City were held to a 2-2 draw by Monaco in the Champions League, and it pits Pep Guardiola's side against a Brentford team buoyed by a 3-1 home win over Manchester United last weekend.

City's preparation has been steadied by the return to training of two senior players. Rodri, who missed much of last season with a knee injury and was carefully managed during the recent buildup, completed 61 minutes against Monaco and has resumed training as his fitness is gradually rebuilt. Rayan Cherki, sidelined since late August with a hamstring issue after joining during the summer, has also returned to first-team work at the City Football Academy. Club staff and Guardiola are expected to reintegrate both players cautiously, with limited minutes likely in the coming fixtures to avoid any recurrence of prior problems.

The quick turnaround from midweek also forces Guardiola to consider rotation. Several players could be rested or see reduced minutes as City manage workloads ahead of...