Brentford

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Brentford defender Aaron Hickey is an injury doubt for Scotland's World Cup qualifier against Belarus on Sunday after coming off in the side's 3-1 win over Greece on Thursday.

The 23-year-old was substituted in the 58th minute at Hampden Park with what boss Steve Clarke described as a "small injury".

"He's just tweaked his knee," Clarke added.

"Aaron was actually a doubt to start the game after picking up a small knock to his knee and I think he's just aggravated it.

"I don't know for sure yet, but that was the reason I called Max [Johnston] into the squad as cover."

Bees fans will be hoping the issue is not too serious, with Hickey having only recently returned to full fitness this season after a two-year struggle with a recurring hamstring injury.

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Fabio Carvalho has lent his support to Brentford's mental health bench campaign, an initiative started by the club's sports psychologist Michael Caulfield when he bought an outdoor bench for the club's new training ground.

Caulfield soon realised the bench was encouraging players to engage with their mental health, so he started to sit on the bench a few days a week during training and gave the players the option to join him.

Speaking to BBC Radio 5 Live for a Football Daily podcast special, attacking midfielder Carvalho said football can be "a bit cutthroat" so "being able to talk about what you're going through on and off the pitch is a blessing".

After success within the training ground, Brentford have recently installed another mental health bench in Robin Grove Park and plan to put several more in the local community moving forward.

The benches will have mental health charity phone numbers and a QR code that links to mental health support services on them.

"I can speak to Michael [Caulfield] about anything and everything," Carvalho said. "What makes it most special is that it doesn't have to be about football. You can speak about anything without being judged.

"I don't feel like men, in general, express their feelings enough. It's good to be able to talk and share that burden, plus being able to speak to someone who doesn't wear a kit or have a badge with initials on goes a long way.

"As footballers, I don't think we have enough meaningful and deep conversations. We just say: 'How are you? I'm good.' But are we actually good?"

The full episode of this special Football Daily podcast will be out on Monday

Brentford are not expected to offer Jamaica international Michail Antonio a contract, despite the 35-year-old former West Ham forward training with the Bees. (Mail, external)

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Michail Antonio has started training with Brentford.

The 35-year-old left West Ham in August following the expiry of his contract - eight months after he was seriously injured in a car crash.

He made 323 appearances in a 10-year period at the club, scoring 83 goals, and started the 2023 Conference League final when West Ham ended their 43-year wait for a major trophy.

Antonio training with Brentford does not necessarily the Bees are planning to offer him a contract, but he lives locally and is using the opportunity to stay match fit.

West Ham's record Premier League goalscorer holds the belief that he can return to playing and scoring regularly after the injuries sustained in December 2024.

Nizaar Kinsella
Football reporter

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Manchester United are appointing Brentford chief operating officer Ameesh Manek as director of football operations at Old Trafford.

Staff at United and Brentford were informed of the news earlier on Wednesday.

Manek will effectively run United's Carrington training ground - the base for the daily football operation - with responsibility for travel, security, training facilities and staff management and infrastructure.

He is the latest leadership appointment by United CEO Omar Berrada.

Director of football Jason Wilcox, who Manek will report into, is in charge of team performance, while chief business officer Marc Armstrong is responsible for off-the-pitch growth.

Manek joined the Bees in 2022, originally as business operations director, before being promoted to chief operating officer in July 2024.

He previously spent five years at Arsenal, where he became head of first-team football operations.

At Brentford, Manek's role was generally limited to administration, but his United job is expected to have a larger focus on football matters for both the men's and women's teams.

United have made a number of key executive appointments in recent months, including Stephen Torpey, who was also at Brentford, to be academy director.

Ian Westbrook
Fan writer

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Not surprisingly, Brentford came off second best against Manchester City on Sunday.

We don't have a terrible record against City and have never been stuffed by them - as some teams are regularly - but we never looked like pulling off another shock win in this game.

Erling Haaland has often found it hard to score against the Bees, but given his form this season it was no surprise that he found the net - from his only real chance of the game. It was his first-ever goal at the Gtech.

City totally dominated the first half, so much so that we failed to touch the ball in their penalty area - the first time that ignominious stat has happened in our 159 Premier League games.

We were much better in the second half, but apart from one decent chance for Igor Thiago, rarely gave Gianlugi Donnarumma much to do.

It was disappointing that, as at Fulham two weeks ago, Keith Andrews did not try to 'go for it' in the closing stages with more positive substitutions.

I totally understand why he started with five at the back, but with 20 minutes to go and us only a goal down it was worth taking a chance and going 4-3-3.

He did make that change in the 92nd minute, but I felt sorry for incoming substitute Fabio Carvalho, as it barely seemed worth it at that stage and I don't think he even touched the ball.

At least it's good that we didn't take a hit to our goal difference and that almost everyone seemed to come through the game unscathed.

The only downside was an injury to Yehor Yarmoliuk, who was forced off in the second half. Hopefully it won't be anything which keeps him out of Ukraine's World Cup qualifiers or any of our forthcoming matches.

Find more from Ian Westbrook at Beesotted podcast, external

We asked for your thoughts after Sunday's Premier League game between Brentford and Manchester City.

Here are some of your comments:

Brentford fans

Anthony: As soon as I saw the line-up was a defensive back five, I knew it was the wrong approach to a side like Man City. Surely the age-old saying that attack is the best form of defence is the best way, just as Thomas Frank did against Man City more than once.

Mark: Why play five at the back? It was going to be a tough game whatever the line-up so should have gone for broke and started with the same line-up as last week. Despite playing better in the second half, we still lack quality at the front. We still need a quality striker.

Saan: Really proud of this Brentford team. We may have been under the hammer slightly in the first half but we came back so strongly, and probably deserved more than we got. Jordan Henderson just keeps on proving his worth.

Nicholas: What a disappointing display from the Bees. Five at the back, negative football and relying on long throws as your only weapon. It was like watching Stoke 15 years ago! Disappointed that Keith Andrews set up to contain rather than have a go.

Man City fans

Steve: A brilliant City away performance, against a team who have been strong at home this season. Three points…

Alan: We should have put the game to bed in the first half. Sloppy and lacklustre finishing must improve if we are to win anything this year. Tijjani Reijnders and Phil Foden were the worst culprits. Both need to concentrate on hitting the ball accurately and with sufficient energy to beat good keepers. either of them managed anything like what is required. Generally a poor performance in the second half.

Dave: Easing our way to another title. Cranking up very nicely with some excellent players returning from injury too.

Harry: Against a low block it's never easy. add to that a team who love long throws and were playing at home, you have a challenging game. We dominated the first half. The second half was more scruffy but we managed it when we couldn't last season.

Pundits Joe Hart and Danny Murphy join host Kelly Cates to bring you the action and talking points from Sunday's five Premier League fixtures.

Watch on BBC iPlayer here

And listen back to full match commentaries on BBC Sounds:

• Aston Villa 2-1 Burnley

• Everton 2-1 Crystal Palace

• Newcastle 2-0 Nottingham Forest

• Wolves 1-1 Brighton

• Brentford 0-1 Man City

Brentford boss Keith Andrews, speaking to BBC Match of the Day after defeat to Man City: "If you look at the 90 minutes one team took their very good chance, we didn't take ours. I feel we restricted them to very few clear cut chances.

"By the nature of the way they play they will try to pull you out of position. We dealt with that pretty well. In the second half we managed to create a bit more chaos and unnerve them a bit."

On the use of long throw-ins: "There's a lot been made of that in recent times, it has been here for years. It is a prevalent part of our game. It causes carnage in the opposition box and carnage is what I like."

Did you know?

• Brentford failed to score for the first time in their last 14 Premier League games since drawing 0-0 with Chelsea in April, ending what was their longest ever scoring streak in the competition.

Jess Anderson
BBC Sport journalist

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Victory against Manchester United last time out was a welcome result for Brentford, who had earned just four points from their first five games.

Despite a somewhat disappointing start to the campaign, Brentford had not yet lost at home this season.

Under Thomas Frank, Brentford were often a problem team for Pep Guardiola and were the only side to do the double over City in the Treble-winning campaign two years ago.

New Bees boss Keith Andrews, in his first managerial role, opted for a back five on Sunday with Kristoffer Ajer coming in for Dango Ouattara - and it left them starved of opportunities in the first 45 minutes.

For the first time in their 159 Premier League games, Brentford failed to record a single touch in their opponent's penalty area in the first half.

The game opened up more after the break, with Michael Kayode heading over the bar while Brentford limited City to just one shot in a flat but scrappy second half.

The hosts' best chance came when Igor Thiago, who has scored five goals this season, found himself one on one with Gianluigi Donnarumma but the Italian keeper saved well.

Defeat leaves Brentford 16th in the table with two wins from seven matches.

Whether you were at the game or following from elsewhere, we want to know what you learned.

Have your say on Brentford's performance

What did you make of City's display?

Come back on Monday for a selection of your replies

Just the one change for Brentford from their win over Manchester United.

Kristoffer Ajer comes in for Dango Ouattara.

Igor Thiago starts with the aim of continuing his brilliant goalscoring run.

Brentford XI: Kelleher, Hickey, Van Den Berg, Henderson, Schade, Thiago, Yarmoliuk, Ajer, Collins, Damsgaard, Kayode

Subs: Valdimarsson, Henry, Pinnock, Jensen, Carvalho, Onyeka, Ouattara, Lewis-Potter, Janelt

Pep Guardiola makes two changes to the side that beat Burnley last time out.

Oscar Bobb and Rodri come in for Jeremy Doku and Nico Gonzalez, who both drop to the bench.

Midfielder Rodri sat the Burnley match out last week with a knee problem but is fit to start today.

Man City XI: Donnarumma, Dias, Reijnders, Haaland, Rodri, Gvardiol, Savinho, Nunes, O'Reilly, Foden, Bobb

Subs: Trafford, Stones, Ake, Kovacic, Cherki, Doku, Gonzalez, Silva, Lewis

There are five games in the Premier League on Sunday and BBC Sport will bring you every moment.

• Everton v Crystal Palace - listen on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra 2

• Newcastle v Nottingham Forest - listen on BBC Radio 5 Live

• Wolves v Brighton - listen on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra 3

• Aston Villa v Burnley - listen on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra (after Singapore Grand Prix)

• Brentford v Man City (16:30) - listen on BBC Radio 5 Live

Kick-off times 14:00 BST unless stated

Follow all of the action and reaction here

You can also listen to today's 5 Live Premier League commentaries on most smart speakers. Just say "ask BBC Sounds to play Newcastle v Nottingham Forest" or "ask BBC Sounds to play Wolves v Brighton", for instance.

Find out more about how to listen to Premier League football on BBC Sounds

Manchester City were up against counter-attacking Monaco on Wednesday, and Brentford will be playing in exactly the same way.

I was at the Monaco game for BBC Radio 5 Live and I am not fully convinced by City, despite their current six-game unbeaten run.

On the up side for Pep Guardiola's side, Phil Foden was excellent again and Erling Haaland's finishing was ridiculously good - his header for City's second goal was like watching me in the 1990s, and he looks unstoppable.

Foden looked sharp as anything, especially in the first half. Seeing him back in form is good for England boss Thomas Tuchel as well as for Guardiola, as opposed to last season when he was inconsistent and couldn't find his level.

I still think City have got issues in a number of positions, however. In the centre of midfield Nico Gonzalez has been disappointing since he came in, and the whole of their right flank is a massive problem.

Bernardo Silva had such little effect on the game, and behind him there is a lack of trust in the right-back area as well.

Brentford will try to hit them on the break and there is a chance they could sucker City, but Foden and Haaland should be the difference between the two sides.

It will be close, but I don't see the Bees beating another Manchester team after their win over United last week.

Sutton's prediction: 1-2

Read the full predictions and have your say here

Jordan Butler
BBC Sport journalist

Brentford are seeking back-to-back victories against the Manchester clubs, while City could extend their unbeaten run to seven games in all competitions. BBC Sport explores some of the key themes before Sunday's match.

"I thought we dovetailed nicely between enticing them and hurting them," said Brentford head coach Keith Andrews after his side beat Manchester United 3-1 last weekend.

It was undoubtedly the biggest win of the Irishman's short reign and it was underpinned by the performance of number nine Igor Thiago, who scored twice.

The Brazilian joined from Club Brugge for a then club record £30m in the summer of 2024 but barely featured last season because of injury. However, the 24-year-old has started this campaign impressively, with four goals in six Premier League outings.

Thiago lost his father at a young age and was required to provide for his family when he was just 13. Bricklaying and carrying fruit were some of jobs he did to earn money. Now he is one of Europe's most in-form strikers.

Of forwards to take 10 or more shots in the continent's top five divisions, only Harry Kane has a better conversion rate than Thiago and he is currently ahead of Robert Lewandowski, Julian Alvarez and Erling Haaland, his opposite number this Sunday.

Conceding late a concerning trend for City

Manchester City have not lost since August but travel to west London seeking to put the disappointment of Wednesday's 2-2 Champions League draw in Monaco behind them.

Pep Guardiola's side largely dominated the game in the principality but squandered the lead twice, with former Spurs defender Eric Dier's 90th-minute penalty denying City three points.

"Obviously it's a bit disappointing to concede this late," admitted Bernardo Silva after the match. "We were controlling the game."

It was the third time this season that City have been on the wrong end of a late goal, with an 89th-minute strike from Brajan Gruda condemning them to defeat at Brighton in August and Gabriel Martinelli's 90th-minute equaliser for Arsenal last month.

City only conceded two result-altering goals from the 85th minute onwards during the 2022-23 Treble-winning campaign, or one every 30.5 matches. That figure rises to roughly one every 11 games across the past two seasons and this term it stands at a concerning one in every three.

One thing that won't concern Guardiola is the form of Erling Haaland. His well-taken brace on Wednesday took this season's tally to 17 goals in 10 games for club and country and he's scored in each of City's four away fixtures so far. The Norwegian is yet to find the net at the Gtech Community Stadium in two previous visits, a record he will seeking to end on Sunday.

Brentford's head of academy goalkeeping Christopher Ramsey has died, the club have confirmed.

Ramsey joined the Bees in June 2023 as academy professional development phase goalkeeping coach before being promoted in July 2024.

Brentford will wear black armbands against Manchester City on Sunday and there will be a commemoration before kick-off.

Director of football Phil Giles added: Our fans may not realise the work he did here, and the important role he played helping Mark Flekken, Hakon Valdimarsson and our other goalkeepers in the last couple of seasons.

"We are incredibly saddened by his passing, but it is a moment in which we can also remember and acknowledge an excellent coach, a much-appreciated member of staff and, more importantly, a fantastic person."

Ramsey, who had bowel cancer, died on Wednesday.

Thomas Tuchel has named his England squad for the upcoming international break.

The Three Lions face Wales in a friendly on 9 October, before a World Cup qualifier against Latvia on 14 October.

Chelsea's Cole Palmer is absent after suffering an injury, while there is no place for Manchester City's Phil Foden or Jack Grealish, who is on loan at Everton from City.

Manchester United have added Brentford defensive midfielder Yehor Yarmolyuk to their list of transfer targets. (Caught Offside), external

Want more transfer stories? Read Friday's full gossip column

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Dan Roan
Sports editor

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A decision on whether to scrap the Premier League's controversial Profit and Sustainability Rules (PSR) and adopt an "alternative system" is "coming up", says chief executive Richard Masters.

The current regulations, introduced in 2015-16 to prevent clubs from overspending, allow losses of £105m over a three-year reporting cycle.

However, they have been criticised by several top-flight teams for limiting their ability to invest.

BBC Sport has been told a decision on any changes is likely to be made at a meeting in November.

In February, clubs chose to continue with PSR for the current season.

However a squad cost ratio (SCR) system of financial control was adopted by the Premier League on a shadowing, non-binding basis.

SCR is similar to Uefa's existing financial rules and allows clubs to spend up to a percentage of their total revenues on squad-related costs.

Nine of the league's 20 clubs already have to comply with Uefa's SCR as a result of qualifying for Europe. Both Chelsea and Aston Villa were fined by Uefa in July for breaching the rules.

Asked about SCR at the Leaders sports conference in London, Masters said: "We are talking to our clubs about an alternative system. That's not to say we don't think the PSR system works."

He added: "It's about closer alignment with European regulation, which is squad cost ratio, which is a revenue test. In Uefa, it's now set at 70%. Our system will be 85% because we always want our clubs to have the ability to invest.

"The Premier League has been built on the back of investment in which international capital flows [are] coming in. We don't want that to be to be stifled off."

Read more here

Katie Stafford
BBC Sport journalist

Brentford boss Keith Andrews has been speaking to the media before Sunday's Premier League game against Manchester City (kick-off 16:30 BST).

Here are the key lines from his news conference:

• Andrews said they have had time "to reflect" and look at why they beat Manchester United last weekend and he thinks they "should take a lot from it".

• He described having an extra day for preparation as "a rarity" and it has helped contribute to a "nice week" at the training ground.

• On opponents Manchester City: "They are obviously an outstanding team with a phenomenal manager. They have a lot of players who can test us in different ways so we will have to be on it in every phase of the game. It's about concentration levels, connection and then causing them problems."

• He said they "need to try and make it uncomfortable" for City, but he is aware of how challenging that is.

• Andrews said he hopes his team "embrace the challenge and enjoy it" because "that's a big part of what makes us, us."

• On Igor Thiago's form: "He had been out for a long period of time so what you are seeing is what he is capable of. He's getting rhythm into his game and the attacking players around him are understanding more what his strengths are."

• He said being unbeaten at home "is key" to getting points on the board, adding: "The fans have been really engaged with the team and the way we are trying to do things. That really helps the players and helps me."

• He dismissed the suggestion they are poorer away from home and said: "I'm not making a big thing of it as it has only been a few games."

• In response to the Bees having the most long throws into the box so far this season, he smiled and said: "Well I was the set piece coach last season, so I was in charge of them! It remains a key part of what we do and how we try to create opportunities."

Follow all of Thursday's Premier League news conferences and the rest of the day's football news

Listen to live commentary of Brentford v Manchester City on BBC Radio 5 Live from 16:30 on Sunday

Tottenham manager Thomas Frank wants to bring in Republic of Ireland defender Nathan Collins, 24, from Brentford. (TBR Football), external

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