Brentford vs Manchester United should be a brilliant game in west London on Saturday (watch live, 12.30pm ET on NBC and online via NBCSports.com) as the pressure mounts once again on the Red Devils.
BRENTFORD v MANCHESTER UNITED LIVE STREAM
Erik ten Hag lost his first Premier League game in charge of United as the 2-1 home defeat to Brighton laid bare all the problems the Dutch manager is trying to solve. United were all over the place defensively, had little creativity in midfield and lacked an edge up top. It’s a lot to try to sort out while trying to introduce a new possession-based style and signing new players to fit into that system.
As for Brentford, they continue to struggle as Thomas Frank’s side fought back 2-0 to earn a draw at Leicester City on the opening weekend of the season. The bees continue to fly under the radar and are determined to make sure there is no second year slump for them this season as they have made even more savvy pick ups this summer.
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Below you’ll find everything you need for Brentford vs Manchester United.
How to watch Brentford vs Manchester United live stream, stream link and start time
Kick-off: 12:30 p.m. ET, Saturday
TV channel: NBC
Online: Stream via NBCSports.com
Key scenarios
Brentford again recruited smartly, signing Aaron Hickey, Keane Lewis-Potter and Mikkel Damsgaard to bolster their squad. Yes, losing Christian Eriksen (who is now at Manchester United) was a blow, but the team that Thomas Frank created is extremely strong. Brentford are determined to prove they weren’t just a one-season wonder in the Premier League and a fast start to the season was so crucial to their 13th place finish last season. The Bees have caused problems for Arsenal, Tottenham and Liverpool at home in the past and they hope to do the same against United, despite losing heavily to United twice last season.
Manchester United have so much intrigue swirling around them daily that it’s hard to keep track. And most of them are not positive. From Cristiano Ronaldo wanting to leave and now stuck at the club to Erik ten Hag tasting defeat in his first game in charge and failed attempts to sign Marko Arnautovic (fan unrest reportedly brought that deal to its knees), it remains a bit of a mess. On the pitch, Erik ten Hag didn’t see many positives as his side were dominated by Brighton and deserved to lose their opener. One of the big question marks concerns their defense and whether or not captain Harry Maguire will start with Raphael Varane waiting in the wings.
Moreover, Frenkie de Jong’s summer pursuit appears to have been unsuccessful, so Adrien Rabiot is the man United now want to sign to dictate the tempo of their game from midfield. It looks like it won’t be smooth sailing in Erik ten Hag’s first few days in charge and this trip to Brentford has an upset alert flashing all over the place. It also looks like Cristiano Ronaldo, 37, will return to the starting line-up to try and breathe life into United with some of his trademark magic.
In-form players to watch
Bryan Mbuemo and Ivan Toney continue to look like a real handful and the latter scored at Leicester last time out. Keep an eye out for new signing Keane Lewis-Potter as he looks like a real talent.
For United, well, nobody is in decent form based on their opener, but Jadon Sancho and Marcus Rashford will be hoping to try and bring some of their decent pre-season form to the PL.
Brentford squad news, injuries, roster options
The Bees have a minor defensive injury crisis with centre-backs Kristoffer Ajer and Ethan Pinnock both out. Sergi Canos is also out with a hamstring problem.
Manchester United squad news, injuries, line-up options
Brandon Williams is out, while Anthony Martial has an outside chance to be fit for this game after suffering a knee injury. Facundo Pellistri also suffers from a sprained ankle.
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