Manchester United vs Brentford

Manchester United will be desperate to return to winning ways when they meet Brentford in a must-win Premier League encounter at Old Trafford.

Manchester United cannot catch a break this season. After Crystal Palace’s 1-0 win at Old Trafford last week condemned them to their worst seven-game Premier League start since 1986 (W3, L4), Erik ten Hag’s strugglers slumped to a dreadful 3-2 home loss to Galatasaray in midweek Champions League action. After losing both opening European fixtures, United’s hopes of reaching the knockout stages are in the balance, as is Ten Hag’s future in Manchester. Indeed, since relinquishing a stellar 31-game unbeaten home streak in mid-September, the ‘Red Devils’ have lost three of the last four competitive games they hosted (W1), including two in the Premier League. As such, they’re staring down the barrel of a three-match losing league streak at Old Trafford for the first time since 1979.

As for visiting Brentford, a frustrating 1-1 draw at Nottingham Forest last weekend has deepened the crisis in Thomas Frank’s corner, with the ‘Bees’ coming into proceedings winless in five successive games across all competitions (D2, L3). Excluding a penalty shoot-out win over lower-league Newport County in the second League Cup round, it’s been over a month since Brentford last won a competitive game in regulation time (D4, L3), casting doubt on their hopes of turning around their fortunes at Old Trafford. The visitors have lost both league visits to this stadium without scoring since earning Premier League promotion in 2021. But they’ve been a tough nut to crack on the road this term, losing just one on four competitive travels (W1, D2).