PREDICTED LINEUP - BRENTFORD VS MANCHESTER CITY - DIAS AND AKANJI START, AKE RETURNS TO THE SQUAD

Image courtesy of goal.com

On a day where attention will be turned towards the bottom of the table, Manchester City take on Brentford, chasing their European dream, on the final day of the season, with the Blues having already sealed the Premier League title.

The Bees still have an outside chance of playing in Europe for the first time in their history, however, they need to beat the Champions and hope that Aston Villa and Tottenham Hotspur drop point in order to claim 7th spot, which would see them play in the third season of the UEFA Conference League.

However, Thomas Frank's side will be without key striker Ivan Toney, as the 27 year old has been given an 8 month ban due to the breaching of betting regulations. Toney is a huge part to the way they play; his aggression and excellent hold up play is perfect for their direct system, and Brentford don't really have another player of his skillset in their ranks.

City, on the other hand, are boosted by the fitness of 7 players: Ruben Dias, Aymeric Laporte, Nathan Ake, John Stones, Manuel Akanji, Jack Grealish and Phil Foden. Pep Guardiola said in his pre-match press conference that none of those players, who were either injured or replaced with injury in City's 1-1 draw with Brighton, are ruled out for today's match, a huge boost for the two upcoming finals.

Guardiola also said that he planned to line up as long as possible, to gain as much momentum as possible for the final two games of the season. This means it's likely we'll see Ederson, Rodri, Ilkay Gundogan, Kevin de Bruyne and Erling Haaland in the starting lineup, after having a rest in the 1-0 victory against Chelsea last week.

A treble remains a realistic possibility for City, with the two upcoming cup finals, against Manchester United in the FA Cup and Inter Milan in the Champions League, the only obstacles in their way.

City are bookmakers favourites for both games, and a fully fit squad will be of huge benefit, as it'll mean they can have players on the bench who are capable of changing the game, such as Riyad Mahrez, Julian Alvarez and Phil Foden.

Winning this match will be big as well, with Brentford being the only team in all competitions to come away with a victory at the Etihad Stadium this season, thanks to two Ivan Toney goals. Brentford were the better team that day, however, I trust Guardiola to change what needs to be changed in order for City to win today.

Here is the predicted lineup for the final match of the 2022/23 Premier League season:

In the last 2 games, I incorrectly predicted that Ederson would start. However, given Guardiola's press conference, and the fact he hasn't played at all since the 4-0 victory over Real Madrid, I expect the Brazilian to start again today.

At right back, Kyle Walker, who was injured for the reverse fixture, will likely start here, although he is the only player to have started both the Chelsea and Brighton games, so there is the possibility that he could be rested. Presuming they're fit, we expect the rest of the back 4 to be made up by John Stones and Ruben Dias at centre back, and Manuel Akanji at left back.

Rodri will start at the base of midfield, a position where he'll likely feature for the rest of City's matches this season. Kevin de Bruyne will start as the right sided 8, pushing up alongside the striker, and club captain Ilkay Gundogan will start as the left sided 8, where he'll look to play in more of a box to box role than the Belgian.

The right wing spot is by far the most tightly contested in the City squad, and we think it currently belongs to Bernardo Silva, so we expect the Portuguese international to start there. On the opposite flank, we've seen a resurgence from Phil Foden, but the form of Jack Grealish since the World Cup means he'll likely retain his place in the side.

Erling Haaland will almost certainly start as the main striker. 1 goal in 5 matches doesn't accurately reflect his influence on the side, and I think that City play better with him, particularly in big matches.

This means the bench will likely consist of Stefan Ortega-Moreno, Rico Lewis, Aymeric Laporte, the fit again Nathan Ake, Sergio Gomez, Kalvin Phillips, Riyad Mahrez, Phil Foden and Julian Alvarez.

CMON CITY!!!