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🚨🔵🇧🇷 EXCLUSIVE: Manchester City agree deal to sign Sávio from parent club Girona in the summer.
Documents to be signed in the next days.
Despite bids from German and English clubs, Sávio will join #MCFC.
He’s now 100% focused on Girona to end the season in the best way. pic.twitter.com/oCDNy5d6Eo— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) February 5, 2024
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De Bruyne and Haaland do start for City, making this the strongest Guardiola line-up since the last time they were both in the City starting XI on 11 August 2023 at Burnley (a 3-0 win at Burnley in which Haaland bagged two goals). It was also the game that De Bruyne suffered his injury that kept him out until January.
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Brentford: Flekken, Collins, Pinnock, Mee, Roerslev, Jensen, Norgaard, Janelt, Reguilon, Toney, Maupay.
Subs: Jorgensen, Ajer, Strakosha, Lewis-Potter, Damsgaard, Baptiste, Yarmolyuk, Brierley, Fredrick.
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Manchester City: Ederson, Walker, Dias, Ake, Gvardiol, Rodri, Foden, Alvarez, De Bruyne, Bernardo Silva, Haaland.
Subs: Stones, Kovacic, Grealish, Doku, Ortega, Akanji, Matheus Luiz, Bobb, Lewis.
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Referee: Jarred Gillett (Australia)
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With the closing of the January transfer window, February’s Champions League knockout ties and a title race that is coming nicely to the boil, it feels that we have almost entered the Business End™ of the season.
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Liverpool’s defeat to Arsenal on Sunday feels like something of a watershed, a result that has ramifications for all three title challengers, with some footy nerds/stats gurus estimating that the Gunners’s 3-1 win at the Emirates actually did more for City’s chances of clinching the Premier League trophy than it did for Arsenal.
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Of course, all of those permutations and predictions only mean anything if City do what they are expected to do. Which is, of course, continue win loads of football matches, starting with tonight at Brentford.
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Pep Guardiola’s side are already on rather a good run, winning 10 of the last 11 in all competitions, and have a couple of follically-blessed blokes back from injury, so one would imagine they will be fine with Kevin De Bruyne and Erling Haaland back in the starting XI against a Brentford side that have lost eight (and won just two) of the last 12.
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But then, this is football match, not an AI algorithm. Almost anything could happen. And most of us are here to find out if something unexpected happens.
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Kick-off: 8pm GMT.
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important events
Brentford were one of only four teams They beat Manchester City in the Premier League last season, becoming the only team to beat Manchester City twice. Kyle Walker is out on the pitch in west London talking about City’s defeat.
The game they beat us at home, right before the World Cup, was an unusual result.And when they beat us here [at the Gtech Community Stadium], it was just before the Champions League final. It won’t help you with tonight’s game.
Remember, The deal is largely internal, as Girona is one of 13 football clubs belonging to the City Football Group. Learn more about groups here.
…and Sid Lowe wrote about Girona in November.
Manchester City agree to sign Savio from Girona
Latest news: City-based transfer updates. Savio has been a sensation for Girona, who are second in La Liga this season. No player in Spain has provided more assists in the league, and he also leads the league in terms of completed dribbles, ahead of the likes of Isco, Rodrygo and Vini Junior.
🚨🔵🇧🇷 Exclusive: Manchester City have agreed to sign Savio from parent club Girona in the summer.
Documents to be signed within a few days.
Savio will join despite bids from German and English clubs #MCFC.
He is 100% focused on Girona to finish this season in the best possible way. pic.twitter.com/oCDNy5d6Eo
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) February 5, 2024
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🚨🔵🇧🇷 Exclusive: Manchester City have agreed to sign Savio from parent club Girona in the summer.
Documents to be signed within a few days.
Savio will join despite bids from German and English clubs #MCFC.
He is 100% focused on Girona to finish this season in the best possible way. pic.twitter.com/oCDNy5d6Eo
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) February 5, 2024
This is funny. Not just because Sky’s stand-in pundit Michail Antonio is wearing a beret, but also because Tottenham’s Micky van de Ven has been recorded as the fastest footballer in the Premier League this season. Anyone who saw his recovery move in the 2-2 draw with Everton at the weekend will remember that he was just ahead of Luton’s Chiedozie Ogbene (who smashed Newcastle’s Dan Byrne on the right wing on Saturday). The results won’t surprise you. But there are some surprising names. Antonio is ranked 41st, but the Jamaican international has not been fully fit this season.
"41st place?!" 😲
Michael Antonio’s reaction 😂😂😂 pic.twitter.com/mi8d0XX5fj
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) February 5, 2024
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I don’t know if this is a positive sign Or a reminder of Haaland’s dominance since entering the Premier League just 18 months ago.
Brentford are the only team out of the 21 Premier League teams Haaland has played against but not scored against.
team
De Bruyne and Haaland have both started for City since the last time they both started for City on August 11, 2023, in a 3-0 win at Burnley with Haaland scoring twice. This was Guardiola’s strongest lineup. . It was also in this match that De Bruyne was injured and was sidelined until January.
Brentford: Frecken, Collins, Pinnock, Mee, Roslev, Jensen, Norgaard, Janert, Reguilon, Toney, Maupay.
sub: Jorgensen, Ajer, Strakosha, Lewis-Potter, Damsgaard, Baptiste, Yarmoljuk, Brierley, Fredrick.
City of Manchester: Ederson, Walker, Dias, Ake, Gvardiol, Rodri, Foden, Alvarez, De Bruyne, Bernardo Silva, Haaland.
sub: Stones, Kovacic, Grealish, Doc, Ortega, Akanji, Mateusz Ruiz, Bob, Ruiz.
Referee: Jared Gillett (Australia)
preamble
The January transfer window has closed, February’s Champions League has ended in a knockout tie, and the title race has entered its climax, so it feels like the season has almost reached its business end™.
Liverpool’s loss to Arsenal on Sunday felt like a watershed of sorts, with the result affecting all three title challengers and some football geeks and stats gurus believing the Gunners would be 3-3 at the Emirates. We estimate that a -1 win would have actually increased City’s chances of winning. It was more of a Premier League trophy than an Arsenal trophy.
Of course, all of these permutations and predictions only make sense if City does what is expected of them. Of course, that means continuing to win lots of football matches, starting with tonight’s game against Brentford.
Josep Guardiola’s side are already in good form, winning 10 of their last 11 games, and have a few players who have been fortunate to return from injury, with Kevin De Bruyne and Erling Haaland set to join the team. One would imagine that it would be okay to come back. He starts against a Brentford side who have lost eight of their last 12 games (winning just two).
But this is a soccer game, not an AI algorithm. Almost anything can happen. And most of us are here to find out if something unexpected happened.
kick off: 8pm GMT.
