Manchester United hope to snap a five game winless run on Saturday, when they face Brentford at Old Trafford.
The hosts have just eight points from seven Premier League games and sit in 14th, three spots below Brentford. The Bees are not necessarily in top form either with 10 points, but they snapped a three game winless run with a 5-3 win over Wolverhampton Wanderers before the international break.
Here’s what you need to know before tuning in.
How to watch and odds
- Date: Saturday, Oct. 19 | Time: 10 a.m. ET
- Location: Old Trafford — Stretford, England
- Live stream: Peacock
- Odds: Manchester United -150; Draw +330; Brentford +360
Storylines
Manchester United may have entered the campaign on a theoretical clean slate, but the uninspiring feeling that lingered over them last season has very much returned for this one. They are winless in their last five games across all competitions, failed to score a goal in three of those matches and conceded seven times along the way. To add insult to injury, captain Bruno Fernandes earned the unique distinction of being sent off in back-to-back games, though they were in different competitions and one was eventually rescinded. The last few weeks, coupled with last season’s showing, have forced a new round of questions about the direction United are heading in, questions that are bigger than ones about manager Erik ten Hag.
While it feels obvious that the current project is not working, United will continue on this path for at least another week. The potential, of course, exists that /ten Hag’s side could turn things around and perhaps have a favorable match against Brentford. United can also point to the fact that they are bound to regress to the mean at some point on the goalscoring front – they have scored just five goals this season in the league, but have 11.11 expected goals. The other side of that is that the same could be true on the defensive side – while they have conceded eight goals, their expected goals against stands at 11.54.
It demonstrates that there’s much work to do to polish up the entire tactical operation, especially if United feel stuck to Ten Hag and the players they signed for him in the meantime. Combined with last season’s form, though, it’s also a sign that there are no quick fixes for this team and another unimpressive season could be underway.
Prediction
Manchester United may be the favorites, but their somewhat porous defense means an upset could be possible on Saturday. Brentford’s 13 goals this season suggests they could cause trouble at Old Trafford, and the Red Devils’ inability to score could hamper their ability to claw out of danger. Pick: Manchester United 0, Brentford 2
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