The England striker returned from an eight-month long suspension for betting infringements last month and made an immediate impact for the Bees.
On his first appearance since completing his ban, Toney scored and helped inspire a 3-2 win over Nottingham Forest for Thomas Frank’s side.
The 27-year-old then followed that up by scoring again and also providing an assist in the Bees’ narrow 3-2 loss away at Spurs last Wednesday.
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For our part, City will step out at the G-Tech Community Stadium flying high on the back of eight successive wins across all competitions.
However, having lost twice to Brentford last season, there is no doubt the game will present another demanding challenge for Pep Guardiola’s side.
And for former City skipper Dunne, the presence of Toney - who scored twice when Brentford won 2-1 at the Etihad last term - adds an extra dimension to the contest.
“In the period where they lost Toney, I think Brentford sort of lost their spark a little bit,” Dunne said on the latest edition of Matchday Live
“But him coming back just changes everything.
“He’s such an outlet and such a good leader for the Brentford side.
“He’s back in the goals again and you know that he’s always going to be a threat.
“And with the way the results went last season City will know it’s going to be a tough challenge.”
Dunne’s comments were echoed by former City striker Gareth Taylor, who is now manager of our women’s side and who was a fellow special guest on the latest Matchday Live.
“With Toney back they are obviously a little bit of a different proposition,” the City boss pointed out.
“They will be good at set plays so obviously we will need to be really diligent in our preparation.
“Toney scored at Spurs even though they lost.
“They did concede three goals at Spurs so I am sure that is something that Pep will be analysing over the next few days.
“City will also have taken a lot of confidence from some of the things we did on Wednesday against Burnley.”
In looking ahead to our latest Premier League clash, Taylor also believes the return of several big beasts will also provide City with a further boost and belief.
Kevin De Bruyne has returned with a vengeance after the best part of five months out injured and made his first start since August in last Wednesday’s 3-1 win over Burnley.
That game also saw John Stones make his first start since while Erling Haaland was also introduced from the bench for his first appearance in almost two months.
“It looks good for us as we’ve seen Kevin De Bruyne come back, John Stones is now back fit and obviously Erling Haaland came back as well on Wednesday,” Taylor added.
“When you have got really good availability in numbers it gives you all the options and I’m sure that’s wat Pep will be looking forward to.”
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