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Manchester United face a daunting trip to West London to take on Brentford in a Premier League clash that always delivers fireworks.
Brentford are at home to Man United as both teams search for points that take them higher in the league standings where they have struggled this term.
United won the reverse fixture in ‘Fergie Time’ thanks to two goals from Scott McTominay in a come-from-behind effort to beat Brentford at Old Trafford, but this latest visit to the Gtech Community Stadium bares nightmares following their 4-0 thrashing there in August 2022.
Thomas Frank’s men have had a topsy-turvy campaign so far as a win and three draws from the first six league matches set the tone for indifferent results. Having ended up with a point from games against Nottingham Forest and Manchester United, Brentford then won each of the next three against Burnley, Chelsea, and West Ham.
Liverpool and Arsenal both got the better of the Bees but they beat Luton 3-1 which proved their last win of the year as 2023 ended with five successive defeats. Although Wolves won their two-legged FA Cup Third Round tie against Brentford, the Londoners resumed Premier League action with a delightful 3-2 win over Nottingham Forest which featured Ivan Toney’s return.
Brentford are currently 14th on the log and results must be secured as they seek to rise above the relegation battle. Par for the course, Toney’s goal after eight months out will fill the Bees with hope of their marksman supplying the required goals to lift them.
As they host United, there would be immense belief in their ability to get a result with the help of their prolific goalscorer.
For the Mancunians, this is a testing fixture at a difficult away ground where several famous opponents have failed.
It has been an eventful campaign so far for the Red Devils with several injuries to key players, personal issues within the dressing room, poor form on the pitch as well as upheaval behind the scenes. Despite lifting the Carabao Cup in 2023, things turned sour in the second half of the year with the Red Devils failing to evolve as a team under Erik ten Hag.
It has already been a record-breaking start to 2023-24 for all the wrong reasons as results in the league and particularly in the UEFA Champions League were unbecoming of a Man United team.
Three defeats and two wins from the first five games set an alarming precedent for what was to come for the Mancunians. A win and another loss followed against Burnley and Crystal Palace until United found some form thanks to second-half winning strikes from Scott McTominay and Diogo Dalot against Brentford and Sheffield United respectively.
That short reprieve was followed by successive 3-0 defeats to Manchester City and Newcastle (Carabao Cup). Thereafter, United won the next three in the league against Fulham, Luton and Everton although they couldn’t transfer that form to European competition.
Only three days after all but confirming their exit from the UCL group stage, the Red Devils fell to another defeat at Newcastle. A 2-1 win at home to Chelsea proved to be their last for the next four matches until a comeback win against Aston Villa in the final home game of 2023.
In keeping with their inconsistent performances, United were beaten 2-1 by Nottingham Forest then they advanced to the FA Cup fourth round after defeating Wigan and drew 2-2 against Tottenham.
They return to Premier League action following the winter break with a trip to Wolves and results are the most important remedy for the rest of the campaign. Thankfully, United have won four of their five league encounters with the Bees and another one is much needed in West London.
Match tickets
This exciting game is scheduled to take place on Saturday, March 30 2024 with kick-off set for 3 PM UK time. Match tickets are on sale via each club’s website but only club members will receive priority allocation.
The Brentford Community Stadium would certainly be full to the rafters given the Red Devils will be coming to town and you can expect the around 17,200-capacity arena to be sold out. Tickets on official channels will be difficult to purchase but we urge those looking for Brentford vs Manchester United tickets to make their search on a ticket resale site.
Team news
Rico Henry and Bryan Mbeumo would not be available against United after their respective surgeries, but Brentford could have the likes of Aaron Hickey, Christian Norgaard, and Kevin Schade back fit.
Frank Onyeka, Yoane Wissa, and Saman Ghoddos will have returned from international duty.
United, on their part, have had more than 20 injuries to first-team squad members at some point since the start of pre-season. The likes of Tyrell Malacia, Victor Lindelof, Luke Shaw, Mason Mount, and Harry Maguire are the names currently in the treatment room while Andre Onana and Sofyan Amrabat are on international duty but they would already be back before this game.
Line-ups
Injuries and suspension have ensured a bad time for Brentford throughout most of the season but they will look to have a few new faces back from injury.
Brentford: Flekken; Roerslev, Collins, Zanka, Pinnock, Reguilon; Norgaard, Janelt, Jensen; Maupay, Toney
Rasmus Hojlund has finally found his scoring boots in the Premier League and he could be key here with his combative presence and goalscoring instincts.
Manchester United: Onana; Wan-Bissaka, Varane, Evans, Dalot; Mainoo, McTominay; Garnacho, Fernandes, Rashford; Hojlund
Prediction
Brentford are expected to step up to their visitors and United must match their level of performance in order to get a positive result. The hosts are slight favourites but United’s record on paper against them is something to consider.
The Red Devils have a suspect defense this season and that would be put under intense pressure by Brentford’s physicality and inventiveness in set-piece situations. This would make for a captivating watch that could cause a lot of talking points.
Brentford 2-1 Man Utd
