Erik ten Hag has a bigger game on his hands than he’d like as Manchester United travel to London to face Brentford. The Bees have been a plucky side and are coming off of a two-goal comeback to draw with Leicester City. While for Manchester United, an opening weekend loss to Brighton means changes will be needed. The big decision for ten Hag is bringing Cristiano Ronaldo in to lead the line for the team. Ronaldo has been public about his desire to leave United this summer, but with no suitors forth coming he’s back in United’s plans. With him up top, Christian Eriksen drops back into midfield alongside Bruno Fernandes and Fred.
Tune in to see if Manchester United can get their season going by grabbing a victory as CBS Sports provides wire to wire updates from the match.
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How to watch and odds
- Date: Saturday, Aug 13 | Time: 12:30 p.m.
- Location: Gtech Community Stadium — Brentford, Middlesex
- TV: NBC | Live stream: fuboTV (try for free)
- Odds: Brentford +280; Draw +240; Manchester United +102 (via Caesars Sportsbook)
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Transition is hard but this is ugly
Jensen has a goal and Brentford leads 2-0 only 18 minutes in. This is also down to a bad pass form De Gea as Eriksen was under pressure.
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De Gea will want to forget that one
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Oh David de Gea! 1-0 Brentford
A speculative shot from Dasilva ended up in the back of De Gea’s net as the United keeper had a terrible spill.
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United has the possession lead but they haven’t done enough with it
Brentford are still creating chances from dead ball situations and while they haven’t resulted in a goal yet, Erik ten Hag will want his team to tighten things up as Brentford are stopping United from playing out of the back.
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Brentford are back to a back three
It’s an open start for Manchester United as Rashford plays on Ronaldo. With a proper forward leading the line, it’s already clear that Manchester United are going to create chances.
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And we’re underway!
It should be a good match between United and Brentford.
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Can Manchester United win the midfield battle?
Outside of Ronaldo being back in the starting lineup, the biggest thing to watch will be the midfield setup. Fred will be a lone defensive midfielder flanked by Fernandes and Eriksen. While this allows United to control possession, their leaky defense will need to be up to the test that Brentford will pose.
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Wissa heads to the bench for Dasilva
Starters: Raya, Roerslev, Hickey, Jansson, Mee, Henry, Norgaard, Jensen, Dasilva, Mbeumo, Toney
Reserves: Strakosha, Wissa, Ghoddos, Onyeka, Lewis-Potter, Damsgaard, Baptiste, Janelt, Bech
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It’s Ronaldo time for Manchester United
Starters: De Gea, Maguire, Martinez, Ronaldo, Fernandes, Rashford, Eriksen, Fred, Dalor, Shaw, Sancho
Reserves: Heaton, Malacia, Varane, Wan-Bissaka, Garner, McTominay, Van de Beek, Elanga, Garnacho
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Manchester United team news
Anthony Martial will still be absent with a pesky thigh injury which opens the door for either Cristiano Ronaldo or Anthony Elanga to deputize as the center forward. Ten Hag could play Eriksen there again, but against a pesky Brentford side, Manchester United would be better served playing him deeper. If Luke Shaw and Diogo Dalot struggle in what should be an open match, their starting places could be up as well which will be something to watch
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Brentford team news
The Bees will likely roll out a back four again as Kristoffer Ajer and Ethan Pinnock will miss the match with injuries but Ben Mee was solid on his debut versus Leicester City. With new signing Mikkel Damsgaard, the formation could be in play longer even when they are back to full strength. Damsgaard only featured in 12 games for Sampdoria last season due to issues with arthritis but after missing five months, he was able to return by the end of the season before moving to Brentford.
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Hello and welcome!
Can Manchester United get their midfield balance right today to push on and get a victory against Brentford? Thomas Frank won’t make it easy for them as he has consistently pushed the right buttons with substitutions if his plan A doesn’t go well. Lisandro Martinez and the defense will have quite a task containing Ivan Toney but it will be a good test to see if ten Hag has been able to instill resiliency in his side.
