"Good luck to Brentford out there" – Alan Shearer makes prediction as Manchester City host Thomas Frank's high-flying Bees

England and Newcastle United legend Alan Shearer has backed Manchester City to beat Brentford in their Premier League encounter at Etihad Stadium on Saturday (September 14).

The Cityzens, who have won six of last seven Premier League titles, have opened the ongoing 2024-25 campaign on an excellent note. They have registered three back-to-back wins with Erling Haaland scoring a staggering seven of their nine goals in the league so far.

Brentford, on the other hand, are on a fine run of form this season after finishing 16th in the Premier League table last campaign. They have won two and lost one of their three league games so far this term.

In his column for Metro, Shearer suggested that Manchester City will emerge triumphant for the fourth time in a row in front of their own fans this weekend. The 54-year-old wrote:

"Manchester City will have too much for Brentford. Brentford have been reasonable up to now and they handled the [Ivan] Toney situation really well, got decent money for him [from Al-Ahli], but I don't see them getting anything from this game. Erling Haaland netted on international duty following his seven goals to start the season so good luck to Brentford out there. Home win."

Pep Guardiola's outfit, who will have Oscar Bobb as their only injury absentee this Saturday, boast a stellar record against the Bees. They have won six of their last eight meetings against Thomas Frank's side.

Brentford manager Thomas Frank showers praise on Manchester City's Erling Haaland

At a pre-match press conference, Brentford manager Thomas Frank was asked to shed light on his plans to contain Erling Haaland's threat at Manchester City this Saturday. He replied (h/t Reuters):

"Close to impossible. A lot of teams have tried to neutralise him. I think he's a great player. I think his movements in the box is probably some of the best we've ever seen. The way he anticipates and is constantly on the move and focused and aware of where to position himself. That's top level... he's a decent player in the best team in the world."

Haaland, 24, will be aiming to become the first Premier League player to score three hat-tricks in a row this weekend. He scored three goals each in City's earlier wins over Ipswich Town and West Ham United.

Since arriving from Borussia Dortmund for an initial £51 million in 2022, Haaland has established himself as arguably the best striker in the world. The 24-year-old has scored 97 goals and laid out 14 assists in 102 appearances across competitions for his club so far.