OLD TRAFFORD, MANCHESTER — Manchester United return to action at Old Trafford against Brentford on Saturday with manager Erik ten Hag badly in need of a win.
United are 14th in the Premier League table, having only won two of their opening seven league matches — a run that has featured damaging home defeats to Liverpool and Tottenham.
“We are calm but we’re not happy,” Ten Hag said prior to the match.
“No one, not the players, staff, board. But we are calm and know what we’re doing. Calm in our strategy and we are getting to where we want to be, and we can do what we want to do this season.”
Brentford are two points better off than United but probably deserve more for their efforts this season when they have frequently stunned opponents with early goals.
The Sporting News is following the Manchester United vs. Brentford match live, providing live updates and commentary
Latest live updates | Team news and lineups | Where to watch where you are
Man United vs. Brentford score
| 1st Half | Goalscorers | |
| Man United | 0 | |
| Brentford | 0 |
Venue: Old Trafford, Manchester
Referee: Sam Barrott (England)
Keep track of every game and every goal via SN’s live Premier League scoreboard
Lineups:
Man United (4-3-3 right to left): 24. Andre Onana (GK) — 20. Diogo Dalot, 35. Jonny Evans, 4. Matthijs de Ligt, 6. Lisandro Martinez — 8. Bruno Fernandes, 18. Casemiro, 14. Christian Eriksen —17. Alejandro Garnacho, 9. Rasmus Hojlund, 10. Marcus Rashford
Brentford (4-3-3 right to left): 1. Mark Flekken (GK) — 4. Sepp van den Berg, 22. Nathan Collins, 5. Ethan Pinnock, 20. Kristoffer Ajer — 6. Christian Norgaard, 27. Vitaly Janelt, 24. Mikkel Damsgaard — 19. Bryan Mbuemo, 7. Kevin Schade, 23. Keane Lewis-Potter
MORE: All the latest Man Utd news | Premier League schedule for 2024/25 | Latest Premier League top scorer rankings
Man United vs. Brentford live updates, highlights, and commentary
17 mins: United already looking familiarly pedestrian in midfield as Brentford cut through the middle of the pitch. Mbeumo treads on the ball and Martinez doesn’t need a second invitation to steal in.
16 mins: De Ligt back with us and Eriksen clears out of the United box. Pinnock might test out the Dutchman’s patch-up job with this long throw… cleared to the edge of the box, where Damsgaard smashes his volley into the crowd.
14 mins: De Ligt is bleeding from the top of his head and is getting patched up as United clear the resulting free-kick. Then Mbeumo and Garnacho contest a ball near where the medical treatment is ongoing on the touchline and almost clatter into the United medical staff. Real slapstick stuff.
11 mins: De Ligt is down and needs treatment because, and I’m being absolutely serious, he stooped into a challenge and headed Schade’s knee. He did a solid job of it because Brentford’s Germany forward is limping a bit. Anyway, Thomas Frank is launching into an impromptu team talk. Victor Lindelof is going through his warmups. This could be bad news for De Ligt.
7 mins: Mbeumo sizes Martinez up, cuts inside and fires over from the right-hand corner of the box. Feels like a warning shot. Up the other end, Van de Berg blocks Garnacho’s cross and it deflects back off the United winger for a goal kick.
3 mins: Almost another early Brentford goal! Lewis-Potter swings in the cross and Schade misses his kick before Martinez scrambles out for a throw. That comes in long from Pinnock and Onana coolly gathers.
2 mins: Fernandes fizzes a teasing ball in from the left that Flekken watches all the way into his gloves with Hojlund lurking.
1st Half: Kickoff
The hosts get us underway and hog the ball. Which is obviously a pretty good way of stopping Brentford from scoring inside a minute.
1 min before kickoff: Brenford have turned the teams around and kick towards K Stand. Did the 1st minute goal plan just kick into action?
4 mins before kickoff: Here comes to the teams to the familiar strains of “This Is The One” by the Stone Roses. Ten Hag could do for something similarly euphoric from the men in red today. Brentford in their fetching light pink shirts and purple shorts.
15 mins before kickoff: Old Trafford filling up now as kickoff approaches. The atmosphere is somewhere between muted and murmuring at this point. It feels like Ten Hag’s men will need to start well to get the crowd onside. Maybe start like… Brentford?
40 mins before kickoff: Martinez’s selection should at least mean an outing for Diogo Dalot in his natural position and a chance for the Portugal full-back to express himself. Dalot is one of the few indisputable transfer success stories at Old Trafford over recent seasons and is the cover star on today’s matchday programme. He had warm words for the United fans.
When you play for a club and have that love for the club it’s the perfect match. When you spend more time on the pitch and you know the emotions it brings to the fans, then you start becoming a little more like them.
1 hour before kickoff: Here’s how Brentford line up. Striker Yoane Wissa is back on the bench after his lay-off but Mathias Jensen has not made it. Assuming Martinez plays at left-back, his battle with Bryan Mbeumo looks set to be key. Only Erling Haaland has more goals in the Premier League this season than the Brentford right winger.
Your Bees to face United 🐝#MUNBRE pic.twitter.com/Narjbl80hf
— Brentford FC (@BrentfordFC) October 19, 2024
1 hr 15 mins before kickoff: The teams are in. Lisandro Martinez returns to the United defence, seemingly at left-back with Diogo Dalot shifting over to his natural position on the right of the back four. Alejandro Garnacho is fit to start after his knee complaint. Manuel Ugarte is only able to make the bench.
📋 Your United XI to take on Brentford 🤝#MUFC || #MUNBRE
— Manchester United (@ManUtd) October 19, 2024
1 hr 20 mins before kickoff: Here in the Old Trafford press room, the screens have just replayed the closing stages of United’s incredible 2-1 victory in this fixture last season, when Scott McTominay came off the bench to score twice in the dying minutes and snatch victory from the jaws of defeat. The Scotland midfielder is now living it up with Napoli, a PSR-influences sale that Ten Hag lamented yesterday. Who can step forward to be United’s hero today?
2 hours before kickoff: Hello and welcome to The Sporting News’ live coverage of Manchester United vs. Brentford from Old Trafford. Erik ten Hag held onto his job over the international break but, boy, does he need a win.
Man United vs. Brentford kick off time
The Premier League match kicks off in Manchester, UK at 3 p.m. local time.
Here’s how that time translates across some of the major territories:
| Date | Kickoff time | |
| USA/Canada | Sat, Oct. 19 | 10 a.m. ET |
| Australia | Sun Oct. 20 | 12 a.m. AEST |
| UK | Sat, Oct. 19 | 3 p.m. BST |
| India | Sat, Oct. 19 | 7:30 p.m. IST |
Man United vs. Brentford lineups, team news
Kobbie Mainoo (knee) is sidelined for the next few weeks. meaning Casemiro and Christian Eriksen start in central midfield. Manuel Ugarte was forced off during the closing stages of Uruguay’s 0-0 draw with Ecuador and is only fit enough for a place on the bench alongside Noussair Mazraoui and Amad.
Full-back continues to be a problem position. Luke Shaw and Tyrell Malacia remain on the sidelines, meaning a return out of position at left-back for Lisandro Martinez, with Diogo Dalot shifting across to his more natural position on the right of the defence.
Matthijs de Ligt and the veteran Jonny Evans are the starting centre-backs after Harry Maguire joined Leny Yoro in the treatment room.
Man United (4-3-3 right to left): Onana (GK) Dalot, Evans, De Ligt, Martinez — Fernandes, Casemiro, Eriksen —Garnacho, Hojlund, Rashford
Man United subs: Bayindir (GK), Lindelof, Mazraoui, Zirkzee, Amad, Antony, Ugarte, Wheatley, Fletcher
Mathias Jensen scored in Brentford’s dramatic 2-1 defeat at Old Trafford 12 months ago but remains out with a calf injury
Rico Henry (knee) is likely to remain out until November but forward Yoane Wissa is back on the bench after missing the past three games with an ankle injury.
Joshua Dasilva (knee), Igor Thiago (knee) and Gustavo Nunes (back) remain out.
Brentford predicted XI (4-3-3, right to left): Flekken (GK) — Van den Berg, Collins, Pinnock, Ajer — Norgaard, Janelt, Damsgaard — Mbuemo, Schade, Lewis-Potter
Brentford subs: Valdimarsson (GK), Wissa, Carvalho, Mee, Yarmoliuk, Meghoma, Konak, Trevitt, Roerslev
Man United vs. Brentford live stream, TV channel
Here is how to watch the match in some of the world’s major regions:
United States:
- TV channel: —
- Live stream: Peacock
Canada:
- TV channel: —
- Live stream: Fubo
Australia:
- TV channel: —
- Live stream: Optus Sport
India:
- TV channel: Star Sports Select 1
- Live stream: Disney+, Hotstar, JioTV
UK:
- TV channel: —
- Live stream: —