Manchester United vs Brentford kicks off at 15:00 [GMT+1] on Saturday, October 19, at Old Trafford.
After a disastrous start to the season, Manchester United’s future remains in the hands of Erik ten Hag. That meant their Premier League team only had eight points from their first seven games, their worst start since 1989/90.
It has put enormous pressure on the Dutch manager, thanks to this form in the midst of underwhelming performances in the UEFA Europa League.
Change seemed inevitable after Ten Hag’s calls, but he is in charge as United welcome Brentford to Old Trafford.
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A Rocky Old Trafford Record
It provides little comfort from United’s recent home form, though, as they have lost their last two home league games by 3-0 scores.
That would be their third successive home defeat, their worst run since the end of the 1978/79 season.
But, at least, Ten Hag can take heart from United’s very decent record against Brentford on the head-to-head, with four wins from six since the Bees were promoted.
But a new painful reminder is Brentford’s 4-0 thrashing of United under the Dutchman in his second match in charge.
Brentford’s Fast Start
And Thomas Frank’s Brentford side could profit from any early nervies at Old Trafford. Only one of those matches ended with a success for the Bees, who have managed to get the ball into the net inside the opening eight minutes of their last four Premier League games.
Meanwhile, United’s woes are compounded by the fact they lost 4-0 to West Ham on Tuesday, after which they remained winless in their last six matches, and their most recent 5-3 victory over Wolves lifted them into a respectable mid-table position.
Brentford have done well to sit above Manchester United on the table, but their away record, where they have yet to win a game, has been sluggish, losing all three games to ‘Big Six’ rivals this season.
Manchester United vs. Brentford: Key Players
Of course, Marcus Rashford, who has twice scored in wins over Brentford, could be pivotal for the Red Devils.
He’s made his comeback since being left out of the England squad but has not scored at Old Trafford in the Premier League since March.
Brentford will look to Mikkel Damsgaard to create opportunities, as the Danish midfielder provided two assists in their last win over Wolves.
Manchester United vs Brentford: Hot Stat
Manchester United have managed just five goals in the Premier League this season, a record only better than Southampton, St Pauli, and Lecce across Europe’s top five leagues heading into this round.
