Manchester United vs. Brentford preview, team news, tickets & prediction

Manchester United take on Brentford as they aim to string together a good run of results in a key part of the season.

Erik ten Hag is enduring another complicated start to the season as Manchester United manager with rocky results just like when he first took over last year.

They will welcome Brentford with a point to prove given how their season began. United won two of their first three Premier League games but had to grind through those home victories against Wolves and Nottingham Forest.

3-1 humblings to Arsenal and Brighton sandwiched the September international break before they bounced back with a 1-0 win at Burnley after getting embarrassed by Bayern Munich in the Champions League.

Their most recent league clean sheet will encourage the Red Devils as they look to build up a run of good results. Ten Hag finds his team sitting in ninth place with nine points having won half of their first six games.

They will face the Bees four days after a crucial UCL clash against Galatasaray and will be hoping to end the week with two wins from two.

United have won six of their last seven Premier League home games at the time of writing, with three of their last four being decided by a single goal. They can also call on a strong history against Brentford having won three of their four previous top-flight encounters.

Brentford have been their usual bullish selves this term and they will fancy their chances of getting a result at Man United.

Thomas Frank’s side are without last season’s top scorer Ivan Toney who is serving a ban for betting offenses. Yet, attacking stalwarts Yoane Wissa and Bryan Mbeumo have remained deadly in the attack with the rest of the team retaining a stubborn backline.

The Bees opened their Premier League campaign with a 2-2 draw against Tottenham Hotspur and got their first win in a spectacular 3-0 beating of Fulham in a West London Derby.

Two draws followed against Crystal Palace and Bournemouth but Brentford suffered their first defeat at Newcastle. Everton made it two Premier League losses in a row for Brentford with a 3-1 scoreline, now they will be looking to bounce back with a positive result in Manchester.

The Bees are three points below United after registering one win so far with only two defeats from six matches. They will have visited Nottingham Forest before travelling to United and the aim will undoubtedly be to secure as many points as possible from consecutive away games.

Frank’s side have come a long way since getting promoted and last season delivered a top-half finish for the first time with their highest-ever points tally in the top-flight. They are backed to kick on in their third campaign in the top division and results against Man United are part of that process.

Match tickets

This game is scheduled to kick off on Saturday, 7 October 2023 at 3 PM UK time. Fans can buy Manchester United vs Brentford tickets for the game on the websites of each club and Old Trafford is expected to be full to capacity.

Getting these tickets might be slightly easier than normal considering United’s recent form so Brentford Tickets will be in high demand. Nevertheless, Ten Hag’s side have a good record at the Theatre of Dreams and their fans will make it a good atmosphere nonetheless.

It is unlikely for supporters to find any tickets through official channels so it is in their best interest to search for them on a ticket reselling site.

Team news

Although Mason Mount, Sofyan Amrabat and Raphael Varane have since returned to action before they face Brentford, Aaron Wan-Bissaka (hamstring) has joined Luke Shaw (muscle), Amad Diallo (knee) and Tyrell Malacia (knee) on the sidelines. Kobbie Mainoo (ankle), Tom Heaton (calf), Lisandro Martinez (foot) and Harry Maguire are also out for varying lengths of time.

Elsewhere, Jadon Sancho and Antony will remain unavailable due to personal reasons.

Rico Henry ruptured the anterior cruciate ligament in his knee and now sits alongside Josh Dasilva (hamstring), Shandon Baptiste (shoulder) and Ivan Toney (suspended) as long-term absentees while Mikkel Damsgaard (adductor) remains doubtful.

Kevin Schade (hip flexor) is a doubt but Ben Mee could be back playing after picking a knock against Newcastle.

Line-ups

Returnees from injury have bolstered the ranks in United’s midfield and Ten Hag will have to rotate between the likes of Mason Mount, Hannibal Mejbri, Casemiro, Sofyan Amrabat, Christian Eriksen, Donny van de Beek and Scott McTominay over the upcoming run of games.

Varane’s return from injury should stabilize the defence and he could be joined by the veteran Jonny Evans who has impressed when called upon as cover for their injured stars. The turnover of games should see a few changes to the lineup with the fixtures coming thick and fast.

Manchester United: Onana; Dalot, Varane, Evans, Reguilon; Casemiro, Amrabat; Fernandes, Hannibal, Rashford; Hojlund

Injuries and suspension have robbed Frank’s team of most of their key players but they are still capable of getting a good result at Old Trafford. The tried and trusted 3-5-2 shape will be on show as Brentford set up to upset yet another of the Premier League heavyweights.

The front two of Bryan Mbeumo and Yoane Wissa will be key in capitalizing on any Man United errors as they spearhead what should be an industrious side on the day. 

Brentford: Flekken; Roerslev, Pinnock, Collins, Mee, Hickey; Norgaard, Janelt, Jensen; Mbeumo, Wissa

Prediction

This could well be an open game with both teams netting in four of Man Utd’s last five league home games while Brentford have failed to keep a clean sheet in three of their last four away matches.

The points could end up either way after each side won their home game in this fixture last season, although Brentford had more to say after a 4-0 win at the Gtech Community Stadium. United’s form in front of their own fans is a notable hurdle to any Brentford hopes.

Manchester United 2-1 Brentford

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