Manchester United will be eyeing their first win when they travel to London ta take on Brentford in the Premier League on Saturday.
Brentford started their second Premier League campaign with a draw against Leicester City as a last minute goal from their opponent denied them a victory at the King Power stadium in the opening week.
The Bees had an inspirational maiden Premier League campaign last season as they had a number of exciting results in their favour and also managed to finish in the 13th position.
Christian Eriksen played a very pivotal part in their top flight journey but the Denmark international signed for Manchester United this summer on a free transfer.
Despite their stature, the London club have made some shrewd additions to their core squad which has been pretty intact since the last season.
They confirmed the arrival of Mikel Damsgaard from Sampdoria and have also signed Ben Mee from Burnley and Aaron Hickey from Bologna to strengthen their squad.
Brentford looked to be on the course for a defeat as Leicester dominated the first half and deservingly scored two goals at the break. But the Bees came back strongly in the second half and two goals from Ivan Toney and Josh DaSilva ensured they finished the game with at least a point in their kitty.
Thomas Frank would be happy with the performance and will definitely have a go against the Red Devils who don’t have their morale high following their defeat against Brighton & Hove Albion in the first match.
Brentford lost both their matches against United last season and they will be banking on their home comfort to have any gains from this match.
Manchester United’s struggle became very evident as they huffed and puffed against a disciplined Brighton side. Erik ten Hag’s men failed to convert their possession into something substantial on the pitch.
With Anthony Martial out injured the Dutch manager decided to pin his hopes on Christian Eriksen as he deployed the former Tottenham Hotspur man as a false nine.
But the move didn’t pay off and only after the introduction of Cristiano Ronaldo, the Red Devils started to put pressure on their opponents. There have been numerous talks of Ronaldo departing Manchester in the search of a Champions League but the player hasn’t found any destination so far and with days passing his chances of leaving the club are gradually decreasing.
The Portuguese could be given a start should Martial deem as unfit for the next game. United’s harrowing away record is haunting them again as they lost six matches on the road last time, an awful record since 1981.
A number of players with the likes of Adrien Rabiot have been linked with a potential arrival but any deal is yet to be agreed with the concerned club.
The Frenkie de Jong transfer saga will likely conclude in the coming days and ten Hag will get to know whether he will be able to reunite with his former disciple or not.
Fred and Scott McTominay were at the receiving end of severe criticism as they couldn’t dominate the midfield like the manager would have liked.
Marcus Rashford will have a point to prove as the United academy product has had his problems regarding his form. The forward is touted to be United’s problem solver but he lacked character in the first game and will get another chance to rectify his mistakes.
Brentford vs Manchester United
Date: 13th August 2022
Time: 10:00 PM IST
Stadium: Gtech Community Stadium
Brentford vs Manchester United
Team News
Brentford
For the Bees Kristoffer Ajer, Ethan Pinnock and Sergi Canos will be unavailable for this match.
Manchester United
Anthony Martial wasn’t in the squad last time due to a hamstring problem and it remains to be seen whether he could be available or not. Cristiano Ronaldo is gunning for a start following his inspirational performance last time.
Brentford Possible Lineup
Raya; Hickey, Jansson, Mee, Henry; Janelt, Norgaard, Dasilva; Mbuemo, Toney, Wissa
Manchester United Possible Lineup
De Gea; Dalot, Maguire, L Martinez, Malacia; Eriksen, Fred, Fernandes; Sancho, Ronaldo, Rashford
Predictions
Manchester United have the armoury at their disposal to get the better of Brentford.
Brentford vs Manchester United Fantasy XI no. 1
De gea, Martinez, Malacia, Hickey; Norgaard, Janelt, Eriksen, Fred; Ronaldo, Toney, Sancho
Brentford vs Manchester United Fantasy XI no. 2
De gea, Martinez, Malacia, Hickey, Mee; Norgaard, Janelt, Eriksen; Ronaldo, Toney, Sancho
