The quarter-finals of the Carabao Cup continue on Wednesday as Man City host Brentford.
The Citizens are -205 moneyline favorites on DraftKings Sportsbook for this one, with a draw available at +320. Fancy a Brentford upset? The Bees are +450 on the moneyline. The game is slated to kick off at 2:30 p.m. ET.
Man City vs. Brentford Prediction, Pick
If this were a Premier League game, I would certainly be betting on Man City to win. However, this is the Carabao Cup and the stakes for both teams couldn’t be more different.
The Bees have never won a domestic major trophy in their history. They have won lower division silverware, but never the Premier League, FA Cup, or Carabao Cup. You can be certain that their strongest team will be out there as they look to advance to the semi-finals of this competition.
On the other hand, there’s Man City. The Citizens are almost certain to make huge rotations to this game as they battle on four fronts to win silverware. Manager Pep Guardiola essentially guaranteed that we will see a much-changed side in his pre-match press conference.
Brentford sit in 15th place in the Premier League, but their results have been better than their position suggests. Only six points separate the Bees and fifth-placed Crystal Palace, which goes to show how condensed the table is at the moment. They have won six, drawn two and lost eight of their opening 16 games. For a team that was picked to be in a relegation fight before the season, manager Keith Andrews has them exceeding expectations so far. They are seven points ahead of the drop zone with a better goal difference, so for now, they look to be in no danger of going down.
This game could be a case of Man City’s B team going against Brentford’s best XI. Although City have one of the deepest squads in the world, the Bees are no pushovers and I think they will find a way to get through to the next round of a competition they so desperately crave.
