Mike Minay
BBC Radio Manchester

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No domestic treble. No Champions League trophy. Yet 2021 has been Manchester City’s finest year yet and they could see it out in style against Brentford.

Be wary, though, the Premier League new boys have adapted well to life in the top flight, earning praise from Pep Guardiola. The Bees have shown they can go toe-to-toe with the big boys and City will perhaps need another “Leicester” performance and try to kill the game within the first 20 minutes. The longer City go without scoring at Brentford Community Stadium, the more the home fans will grow confident.

But City could end 2021 with their 36th league victory of the year. Their next goal will be their 113th in 2021 (all largely without a recognised striker), they smashed winning records on their way to the Premier League title and a current run of nine consecutive victories means they’ve been consistently relentless throughout the year.

Records have been broken left, right and centre. Some players have renewed themselves - think Bernardo Silva and Raheem Sterling. Other players have found themselves - think Rodri and Joao Cancelo. And for everyone else it's been about maintaining their high standards - think Ruben Dias.

This year has been a privilege covering City so, for one final rodeo, let’s see how they fair against Brentford.

Image source, BBC Sport

• This is the first meeting between Brentford and Manchester City since January 1997, when City won an FA Cup tie 1-0 at Griffin Park.
• Manchester City have won their past three away league games against promoted sides by an aggregate score of 11-1.
• When playing their final league game of a calendar year at home, Brentford haven’t lost since 2005, winning five and drawing three of their eight since.
• City have only lost their final league game in one of the past 20 calendar years (W10 D9), with that defeat coming at Liverpool in 2016.
• After just one victory in their first six Premier League home games, Brentford have won their past two.
• Manchester City have scored 112 Premier League goals in 2021 – the last calendar year to see an English top-flight side score more was back in 1960, when Tottenham ended up with 114 and Wolverhampton Wanderers 113.

Nigel Rothband
The Man City Show podcast

I’m sure the cracker of a game on Boxing Day against Leicester City will remain in the memory for a long time. However, not as long, I suspect, as the fixture on 26 December 1976.

After over a year out of the game through injury, Colin Bell made a substitute appearance at the start of the second half against Newcastle United. Over 45,000 stood to give 'King Colin' an emotional ovation that lasted for what felt like several minutes.

This is an emotional time of year for many people. A time of year when families get together, a time for reflection, a time to be there for each other and, for some, maybe a first Christmas and New Year without a loved one.

Amid the Covid pandemic, we have all had to change our behaviours to keep ourselves and others safe.

Pep Guardiola was insistent at his news conference before the Leicester game, encouraging fans to wear masks to avoid further spread of the virus to avoid another lockdown. Pep, who lost his mother to the virus in 2020, is concerned that games will be played behind closed doors repeatedly season after season unless we do change our behaviour.

I was lucky enough to be at Maine Road for Colin Bell’s return. I was at Wembley for Dickov’s goal against Gillingham. And I was at the Etihad for the Aguero goal against QPR. Those emotional footballing moments will live with me forever.

We must change our behaviour and change now if we are going to continue to enjoy that emotional connection that football gives us. We can’t keep being locked down and have games played behind closed doors. We have to be there.

Karen Carney
Former Arsenal midfielder on BBC Radio 5 Live

Tuchel has tried different players there [at left wing-back] already: Pulisic, Hudson-Odoi, even Saul. They're not natural left-backs. They've been linked with Lucas Digne from Everton today, but it is a problem because they're more attacking wingers and not defenders.

It is an issue losing Ben Chilwell because of how good he was, that's a massive miss for Chelsea.

Chelsea

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Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel, speaking to Premier League Productions: "Winning lifts spirits, lifts the belief and brings back a certain energy you miss when you struggle with results.

"Full credit to the guys. They are totally reliable in terms of mentality and attitude.

"Romelu [Lukaku] will be back to his best at some point after injury. He was out and then caught Covid and missed another 10 days training.

"His work rate and intensity against Aston Villa was on a higher level."

There's three changes to the Brentford side that lost 2-0 to Brighton on Boxing Day.

Yoane Wissa and Frank Onyeka - who came on against the Seagulls - start while Mads Roerslev comes into the first XI for the first time since 10 December.

The injured Bryan Mbeumo misses out while Christian Norgaard is suspended.

Brentford: Fernandez, Pinnock, Jansson, Sorensen, Roerslev, Baptiste, Jensen, Onyeka, Thompson, Wissa, Toney.

Subs: Canos, Forss, Ghoddos, Peart-Harris, Bidstrup, Stevens, Cox.

Image source, .

Nathan Ake makes his first start since 1 December for Manchester City as Pep Guardiola makes four changes to the side that beat Leicester City 6-3 last-time out.

Gabriel Jesus, Jack Grealish and Phil Foden also start with Raheem Sterling, Rihad Mahrez, Ilkay Gundogan and Oleksandr Zinchenko dropping to the bench.

Man City: Ederson, Joao Cancelo, Dias, Laporte, Ake, De Bruyne, Fernandinho, Bernardo Silva, Gabriel Jesus, Foden, Grealish.

Subs: Sterling, Gundogan, Zinchenko, Steffen, Mahrez, Carson, Mbete-Tabu, Palmer.

Image source, .

Image source, BBC Sport

• This is the first meeting between Brentford and Manchester City since City's 1-0 victory in the FA Cup third round at Griffin Park in 1997.
• Brentford's 2-0 home win in the second tier in 1951 is the most recent league game between the clubs.
• The Bees' last competitive win in this fixture was a 2-1 home triumph in the League Cup second round first leg in 1989.

Former West Ham midfielder Nigel Reo-Coker does not think Manchester City have put a stranglehold on the Premier League title, despite a ninth successive win moving them six points clear at the top.

City's imperious form has included 4-0 and 7-0 wins - as well as Sunday's 6-3 victory over Leicester - and has been reminiscent of similar winter runs in previous seasons that have propelled Pep Guardiola's side to the title.

However, Reo-Coker thinks there is plenty that can change over upcoming weeks.

"They look very good and Pep will obviously be very happy," he told BBC Radio 5 Live's Football Daily podcast.

"But I wouldn't say they're out of the way yet. Conceding three goals against Leicester gives hope to other teams.

"They've also not been as affected by Covid as other teams. If they get one case, it could spread like wildfire."

Podcast host Ben Haines agreed but paid tribute to the "relentless aggression" of Guardiola's side.

"They are frighteningly good," he said. "They are at it all the time and we should appreciate them for what they are."

Listen to the full discussion on City from 13'35 on BBC Sounds

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The last time these two sides met back in April, it was events off the pitch that took centre stage.

Shortly before kick-off, news broke that Chelsea were planning to pull out of the controversial breakaway Super League just 48 hours after the plans were mooted.

About 1,000 supporters had gathered outside Stamford Bridge to protest against Chelsea's involvement, preventing the team coach entering the stadium and delaying kick-off by 15 minutes.

With the maelstrom taking place around the fixture, it was perhaps unsurprising that the game itself was a bit flat.

Two sides with excellent defensive records effectively cancelled each other out, a 15th clean sheet in 20 games for Chelsea under Thomas Tuchel overshadowed by a toothless performance at the other end.

Brighton keeper Robert Sanchez was barely troubled, and indeed Danny Welbeck almost won it for the visitors when his shot hit the post.

Both sides have been obdurate defensively at times this season but will this fixture be the opportunity for them to cut loose?

Ross Mooring
Chelsea Fancast

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Chelsea got a much needed win at Aston Villa on Boxing Day with a spirited second-half display, instigated not just by the scoring return of Romelu Lukaku, but a tactical switch from Thomas Tuchel in sacrificing a defender at half-time.

Indeed, to his credit, throughout this jittery run of form, Tuchel has shown a willingness to stray from his typical 3-4-3 set-up and throw on attackers to change games.

While a title charge might be too much of an ask when key players such as Kante, Chilwell and Lukaku are absent, and Manchester City and Liverpool are more experienced with 38 game league campaigns, the Blues are still in four cup competitions - counting the Club World Cup in 2022 - and will pose a threat again in the Champions League.

The draw at Wolves left a slight bitter taste in the mouth with other clubs having one or more games postponed amid the ongoing Covid pandemic, an arguable decision from the Premier League given the number of new daily cases at the club. But, on balance, at least the loyal travelling fans weren’t left out of pocket and the game could have added real congestion in the new year.

On a positive note, it also meant debuts for Cobham youth products Harvey Vale, Jude Soonsup-Bell and Xavier Simons in the League Cup win at Brentford. Fifty have now graduated from the academy since the Abramovich era began at Chelsea 18 years ago.

This is a good stat...

In the top four tiers of English football, Brighton have played a league game versus 109 different opponents. The only one of those opponents they have failed to beat in a league fixture is Chelsea.

Brighton & Hove Albion

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Brighton boss Graham Potter, speaking to Premier League Productions: "Sunday was a nice win and Leandro [Trossard] produced a really strong first half.

"It probably impacted our team performance in the second half without him. But that's life.

"Chelsea are champions of Europe, they've invested a lot in their team and they are competing for the top of the Premier League."

Mirzo: Managers complaining about millionaire football players being tired when for the last year doctors have been working without even being able to go home to their loved ones for fraction of footballer’s pay.

Scott McCarthy
We Are Brighton

Two fantastic goals, Brighton ending their 11-game winless run, and a first Boxing Day victory since 2005. All of those should have been the focus of the Seagulls' 2-0 win over Brentford.

Instead, attention was drawn to the empty seats. The club recorded a crowd in excess of 30,000 – because of tickets sold rather than bodies through the turnstiles. Most fans who attended put the actual figure between 12,000 and 14,000.

One reason for this is Covid, obviously. Isolation and fear of testing positive is impacting attendances across the country, not just Brighton.

A second is the Albion's unpopular season ticket sharing scheme, where passing your digital ticket on to friends or family involves a one-off £20 fee to upgrade your account – as well as the recipient having paid £25 to be a member.

Seats which would previously have been filled by somebody with a passing interest, but not enough to become a paid-up member, are going unused.

The empty seats at every game this season - not just Wolves and Brentford - tell their own story, despite deputy chairman Paul Barber’s claims before Christmas, external. His Brentford programme notes said the scheme would continue to be reviewed – and that is welcome.

The real problem, though, was televising the match at 20:00 – at a stadium that relies on public transport on a day when there is no public transport. It’s the ultimate example of match-going fans meaning nothing compared with the cash cow that is broadcast contracts.

Unless clubs insist on clauses to restrict broadcasters rescheduling for night games on 26 December, or 300-mile trips for midday kick-offs, supporters will never have the protections they need.

And the Premier League and its members won’t do that because it would ultimately devalue the broadcast deals. Money talks.

Brighton ended a club top-flight record run of 11 consecutive winless matches by beating Brentford on Boxing Day.

It represented a first league win ion three months for Seagulls.

That they are still ninth in the division after that says a lot about the current state of the Premier League.

Graham Potter was understandably chuffed with the result...

Those are some pretty damning stats from Brighton's point of view. They've never even scored at Chelsea in the Premier League, never mind won. And they've never led against them home or away.

They'd snap your hand off for a 0-0 like last season.

Image source, BBC Sport

• Chelsea have never lost a league game against Brighton, winning 10 and drawing two of their 12 matches. It’s the most the Blues have faced an opponent without ever losing in their league history.
• Brighton have never scored in six away league games against Chelsea (D1 L5), with last season’s 0-0 draw their first ever point at Stamford Bridge. In English Football League history, only two sides have ever faced a side more often on the road without scoring – Bradford Park Avenue vs Leyton Orient (8) and Barrow vs Northampton Town (7).
• Having lost eight of their first 12 Premier League away games in London (W2 D2), Brighton have lost just three of their last 13 visits to the capital in the competition (W2 D8).
• Brighton have never led in eight Premier League meetings with Chelsea. In the competition’s history, only two sides have faced another more without leading for a single minute – Sheffield United against Manchester City (10) and Portsmouth against Chelsea (14).