Brentford and Manchester United are set for another face-off in the Premier League, bringing together two teams with interesting recent histories. Brentford has shown strong performances at home against Manchester United, securing two wins and a draw in their last three encounters, matching their success in their first six home meetings when they initially struggled against the Red Devils.
Last season, Manchester United suffered a narrow 4-3 defeat against Brentford, and they now face the possibility of consecutive league losses to Brentford for the first time in the Premier League era, a feat previously occurring only in the 1930s across different tiers of the league system. Since Manchester United’s 3-1 victory over Brentford in January 2022, home teams have dominated the fixture, winning six of the last seven matches, with only one draw in between.
Manchester United’s form in London has seen a significant downturn compared to the period between February 2020 and January 2022, when they were undefeated in 13 Premier League visits. In stark contrast, they’ve now lost 15 of their last 24 visits to the capital. The away form has continued to falter, with Manchester United winless in their last seven away league matches, dating back to their 3-0 triumph over Leicester in March.
Brentford, on the other hand, has conceded 10 goals in just five matches this season, a record they last matched in the early days of the 2003-04 season while in the third tier. This defensive challenge is compounded by their high number of shots faced, second only to Burnley this season. Contrastingly, Manchester United have been prolific in front of goal, leading the league in shots and seeing an increase in their average shots per game compared to last season. Their expected goals metric has also improved substantially, highlighting a more aggressive offensive approach.
Despite their attacking prowess, Brentford has struggled to convert leads into victories, dropping eight points from winning positions already this season. This unwanted record in the opening five games has been surpassed only by Newcastle in 1999-00 and Fulham in 2007-08. Individually, Bryan Mbeumo has been a standout for the Red Devils, registering 15 shots in his first five league games this term, a number only outdone by Manchester City’s Erling Haaland and reminiscent of Antony’s start in 2022.
The upcoming match presents an intriguing battle between Brentford’s quest for defensive solidity and Manchester United’s quest to end their away win drought, promising a compelling spectacle for football fans.