Brentford's manager Thomas Frank has praised Manchester City and their boss Pep Guardiola ahead of their Premier League clash at the Gtech Community Stadium on Tuesday night.

Despite City trailing leaders Liverpool by 12 points and sitting two points outside the top four, Frank is not shocked by their recent struggles.

"I think Manchester City is a fantastic team with a fantastic coach and fantastic players. I don’t think it’s a surprise for Pep that they’ve had a dip," Frank said.

READ MORE: 'Honestly' - Man City get Omar Marmoush transfer update

READ MORE: 60 seconds of chaos shows why Pep Guardiola is giving Man City fans a different kind of transfer rebuild

"You never know when the dip is coming, but you know that not one team in the world can consistently just win year after year. It’s impossible, especially in the best league in the world.

"What they’ve done for the last four years shouldn’t be possible, it’s hugely impressive and he will go again."

With both Guardiola and Frank being the longest-serving managers in the Premier League, Frank has lavished praise on Guardiola and backed him to lead City into another successful rebuild.

"Guardiola is, for me, the best coach in the world. He’s also the outlier when he is that good because I think he can stay as long as he wants to.

"Of course, everyone needs to perform – even Pep and he says that himself – but he’s that good that he can come up with solutions."

Brentford are determined to brush off the disappointment of their unexpected FA Cup knockout after a 1-0 defeat to Plymouth at home, while City secured an emphatic 8-0 victory against Salford in their third-round clash.

Brentford's Rico Henry is on the cusp of making his Premier League comeback, having contributed over an hour in the clash with Plymouth, meanwhile, Ben Mee is nearing a return from a muscle strain.

Henry's resurgence stems from overcoming his second major anterior cruciate ligament injury, which occurred during a match against Newcastle in September 2023.

"Rico is available again for the squad and Ben Mee is ready, which is positive news. I’m very, very pleased that Rico is back. He’s been one of our best players in the four years in the Premier League.

“It will take a little bit of time before we see him fully firing. That’s not me saying he can’t start or play a Premier League game, but consistent high performances will take a little bit of time to build.

”But he will be involved in the squad tomorrow and it’s up to me to find out how much I can use him. It’s unlikely he will start; it’s still a building process."