Despite taking just three points from their last available 30, Leicester City are well in the race for survival.
Victory on Friday night will take them out of the drop zone and put pressure on Wolves and Ipswich ahead of their matches against Bournemouth and Tottenham respectively on Saturday.
But as always, that's easier said than done. City have lost their last five home league games without scoring, and looking to avoid becoming the first English top-flight side in history to have six successive such games in the same season by scoring and getting a result tonight.
Brentford will be no pushovers though. They have won their last three matches on the road for a new club record in the Premier League.
We are live at the King Power Stadium to bring you updates, analysis and reaction. Kick-off is at 8pm, with team news due at 6.45pm.
Key Events
Before we leave you
We'll have plenty more reaction and analysis in the morning, but for now...
- You can read our player ratings here, and they're not a good look for the defenders.
- And you can read van Nistelrooy's brutal verdict on the quality of his squad here.
Still only two points behind?
RvN: “We depend on the other teams to lose but we know that that’s not going to be forever. It’s on us to collect enough points. At the moment, we are struggling to get some.”
Job tougher than expected?
RvN: “It doesn’t matter if it is or not. It is as it is [the situation] and I’m working within that situation. I didn’t know what it would be like so I didn’t have any expectations of it. It’s not easy, it’s a hard situation to be in and a huge challenge. But that’s what we’re here for."
Why Buonanotte not starting?
RvN: “It’s not about one player. There’s bigger issues to address within the football club than [to] talk about one player. The situation that we’re in is alarming and the mountain that we have to climb is huge so there’s no space to talk about one player.”
Soumare and Hermansen arguing?
RvN: “It’s no problem, it’s good that players are holding each other accountable because they care. In the dressing room, it was fine and they move on."
Sounds like you're saying the squad isn't good enough?
RvN: “I’m not saying that, but it’s not fair to have certain expectations. You cannot live up to them. You can only be the best you can be. We’ll see at the end if it’s enough or not. So far we’re in that bottom three for a while and every game we play, we almost face a better side than ourselves. Everything has to go right to get results and points and that’s the reality we’re in.”
Why keep making these big steps back?
RvN: “In the end you have to look at performing at the maximum of your capabilities. I cannot ask the players to do more than that. With the squad we have, it’s a huge mountain to climb to stay in this league, a huge one. That’s the reality. Today it showed. When we make a couple of mistakes and we didn’t perform at our best, Brentford was too big a challenge today for us.”
How are the players feeling?
RvN: “We are disappointed. Every individual will reflect and recover from this. It’s blow after blow after blow. A lot of hard work has been put in with only a few results. There have been some performances that we can take hope from, but we have to accept that we are in a position where every week we face a better team. We have to prepare a team to be the best we can be. We cannot ask more from ourselves.”
Defending for first three goals?
RvN: “We can look at the three chances and we can look at the three goals. That’s where games are decided and where the difference is made. That’s the conclusion for today.”
Can you sum up the game?
RvN: “It’s easy to sum up what happened. Apart frm the first 15 minutes and the three big chances, Brentford were the better team. The gap between them and us and was very big in quality.
"A team that is together for such a long time, that has been built in an idea of play, with the profiles physically, tactically and technically there. They’ve had quite a few years in this league and gradually built into a squad we are far off. That level showed today.”
Van Nistelrooy on Sky Sports
Here's the first words from the manager, to Sky Sports. More to come in his press conference.
"You have to acknowledge it's a huge step back. There was hope after recent performances, the beginning of the game was hopeful with three chances. It could have changed the game. After the bright start from us we were never in the game again and at half-time the game was done.
"Everyone is going home really disappointed and gutted with the loss and disappointed with the levels we showed today. We have to acknowledge it. The level between Brentford and us was significant and a worry for future hopes for us."
Full-time: City 0-4 Brentford
Yet another disaster and one that puts City in the record books.
City become the first team in the history of the English top flight to lose six consecutive home matches without scoring in the same season.
Goal. Carvalho makes it 4-0
City can't clear and Carvalho hammers the ball through Hermansen.
What an awful night.
And then there's an argument between Soumare and Hermansen.
Coady on for Okoli
It looks like the Italian is injured. Coady comes on in his place.
"Cheerio!"
Brentford fans chant "cheerio!" as City supporters filter out of the ground. Plenty have seen enough.
Ndidi off for Skipp
Not the best of games for Ndidi, and it's shown in City's all-around performance.
Skipp comes on. There doesn't look like any route back for City here.
Hermansen prevents a fourth
Mbeumo swings in a cross, Brentford sub Yarmoliuk gets a flick and only a brilliant save by Hermansen to tip the ball away prevents a fourth goal.
The rain is tipping down now. These are hardly the conditions for a comeback.
Brentford are in control.
Buonanotte lively
There's been no chances for a City comeback and Brentford fans are now cheering every pass they complete. City do look all over the place a lot of the time.
But the few times Buonanotte has got on the ball, he's looked lively. He's dribbling with intent and committing Brentford players. He just can't quite find Vardy with the final pass.
Here comes Buonanotte
There's been no response from City, so here comes Buonanotte. There are extremely loud cheers for Ayew being taken off and loud cheers for Buonanotte coming on.
Meanwhile, Faes looks like he's lost his head and has given up here. He's making poor passes and has just given away a very cheap free-kick.
Okoli has gone to right-back
It's not a change in formation. Okoli will play at right-back.
Coulibaly was probably at risk of a red card, hence that decision.
Double sub at the break
Vestergaard is on for Coulibaly, and so that'll mean there's a change in formation. Or maybe Okoli is going to right-back.
Mavididi is on for De Cordova-Reid, a change that gets cheers.
Half-time: City 0-3 Brentford
Shambolic. For 80 minutes, City were defensively strong against Arsenal. They seem to have forgotten everything they did well in that game.
They have a huge mountain to climb now.
Ball in the net, but no goal
City get lucky.
Brentford waltz through them, Wissa crosses and Faes very nearly scores an own goal, his touch only kept out by Hermansen's leg.
The ball hits Lewis-Potter and trundles into the net, but it's ruled out, and VAR confirms the ball did bounce up and hit the Brentford man's hand.
Off the post!
There's nearly a fourth for Brentford before the break. Schade heads off the post.
Hang on, more drama...
Coulibaly booked
The right-back continues to be far too keen to impress to the point of recklessness. He's just gone in hard on Norgaard in an aerial battle and is booked for his troubles.
The Dane is down receiving treatment.
Goal. Norgaard heads in a third
This is a disaster.
It is an alarmingly-easy set-piece goal for the visitors. Mbeumo swings in a free-kick, Norgaard runs off De Cordova-Reid and in front of Vardy and heads into the far corner.
Chants of "We want Rudkin out!" and "Sack the board!" ring out.
Goal. Mbeumo makes it 2-0
And now Brentford do have a second.
Ndidi tries to intercept high up the pitch but doesn't make it and one pass has Damsgaard free and running at City's defence.
He find Mbeumo, who is so dangerous when cutting in off the right. Kristiansen doesn't get close enough and he bends the shot into the far corner.
Panic in the box
Brentford having had any big chances since Wissa's goal, but when they do come forward, City begin to panic at the back.
Players are swiping at clearances and not sticking to their positions.
Goal. Brentford lead through Wissa
City are punished again.
Soumare wins a loose ball but sees Norgaard pinch it off him. It comes to Damsgaard and he pokes a cute pass through the defence.
It might not be meant for Wissa, but he is the most alert to it, running off Okoli's shoulder, bouncing a shot into the ground, over Hermansen, off the post and in.
There is almost an instant City response as El Khannouss again finds Vardy in the box with his left-footed shot parried away by Flekken.
Coulibaly blocks Schade shot
City can't let that happen.
Collins is allowed to run three-quarters of the length of the pitch and he then offloads to Ajer, who delivers a cross to the back post to Schade.
Coulibaly couldn't rise high enough to win the header, but did adjust to get back in and block Schade's shot. That would have been a difficult shot to save for Hermansen.
