Manchester United will look to end their recent winning streak at the welcome Brentford to Old Trafford for a crucial Premier League game on Saturday afternoon.
The two sides played a thrilling 1-1 draw in March and another hard-fought clash is expected this weekend as United look to climb up the table and the Bees look to maintain their impressive start to the season .
Game preview
Erik ten Hag’s United have had a resounding start to the new season, winning just two of their first seven league games and are 14th in the table, closer to the relegation zone than the top four.
The Dutchman’s position as coach has come under intense scrutiny but the club have decided to stick with him for now as he looks to turn things around.
Brentford, on the other hand, have made an encouraging start and are currently in 11th place, two points ahead of their upcoming opponents.
Thomas Franks The side have been a revelation since their promotion to the top flight and will be confident of a result at the Theater of Dreams having avoided defeat in five of their last six meetings with United.
Head to head
The Red Devils have traditionally had the upper hand in this encounter, winning each of their last five home league games against Brentford by an aggregate score of 13-2.
You have to go back to 1937 to find out the last time United lost a home game to the Bees. However, Brentford will take comfort from their spirited first-leg performance earlier in the year, when they scored a late equalizer to deny United all three points.
Team news
United are facing an injury crisis with up to ten first-team players potentially unavailable.
Leny Yoro, Tyrell Malacia And Harry Maguire are definitely sidelined while Noussair Mazraoui is also expected to be sidelined after undergoing heart palpitations treatment.
There are also doubts about fitness Manuel Ugarte, Luke Shaw, Mason Mount, Kobbie Mainoo, Alejandro Garnacho And Amad Diallo.
Brentford, meanwhile, remains without one Yoane Wissa, Rico Henry, Josh Dasilva, Igor Thiago, Aaron Hickey And Gustavo Nunes due to an injury.
Mikkel Damsgaard, Christian Norgaard And Mathias Jensen There are also doubts after he missed international duty this month.
forecast
With both teams dealing with significant injury concerns, this is a closely contested duel.
United’s poor start to the season means the pressure is on Ten Hag and he will be desperate for his side to get back to winning ways on home soil.
However, Brentford have proven to be a tough nut to crack and they like their chances of getting something out of the game, especially given United’s defensive deficiencies.
Ultimately I expect a draw with the teams eliminating each other. United may be ahead, but Brentford have the quality to frustrate the hosts and secure a valuable point away from home.
Betting Tips
I wouldn’t be surprised if this game ended in a draw and both teams scored.
Given the defensive problems on both sides, over 2.5 goals could also be a sensible bet. As for the final result, I think the teams are evenly matched, so a 2-2 draw seems a reasonable prediction.