How Man City should line up vs Brentford in the Premier League

John Stones and Bernardo Silva could return to the Manchester City starting line-up against Brentford after sitting out the draw against Chelsea.

Stones is still managing his fitness after his persistent injury problems this season and was an unused substitute against Chelsea having played two games in the previous week. Bernardo received a knock in Copenhagen that prevented him from starting the Chelsea game, but he came off the bench to help City find an equaliser through Rodri.

Jack Grealish and Josko Gvardiol remain injured but should return in the next fortnight, as Pep Guardiola nears a fully-fit squad.

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Read how our writers think City should line up below and use the interactive team selector to pick your own starting XI to face Brentford:

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Joe Bray

The Chelsea performance wasn't awful, but it had room for improvement. Bringing back Stones and Bernardo will immediately solve some issues that were present including the disparity between midfield and attack.

It would be harsh for Julian Alvarez to drop out, but Bernardo can play alongside Kevin De Bruyne in midfield and will do a better job of covering for Rodri and helping out Jeremy Doku on the wing. Doku was erratic against Chelsea, however, Brentford at home could be a good game for him to rediscover his form.

In defence, Guardiola stuck up for Manuel Akanji, but he simply doesn't offer the same as Stones, and when it's a choice of one or the other, Stones will win every time.

George Smith

After missing out on a starting berth at the weekend, Stones should return to