Brentford vs Manchester United
English Premier League, KO: 17:30 Aug 13, 2022, Gtech Community Stadium
ERIK TEN HAG'S Manchester United revolution has got off to a nightmare start so the pressure is on the Red Devils to deliver in their second Premier League outing at Brentford.
Any notion that the former Ajax boss would wave a magic wand and make last season's problems disappear was brutally banished last Sunday as Brighton claimed a 2-1 win at Old Trafford.
The same old failings in defence and central midfield were there for all to see and Manchester United looked toothless up front, with their consolation coming through a Brighton own goal.
Our man Gabriel cashed in by backing BTTS but his faith in United was misplaced, with ten Hag admitting the lack of a recognised centre forward cost his side dearly.
Cristiano Ronaldo was only fit enough to come off the bench and it will be interesting to see if the new Old Trafford boss starts his sulking superstar for a tricky trip to Brentford.
It looked like the Bees would be stung in their opener at Leicester when they fell 2-0 behind but Thomas Frank's men rallied and salvaged a draw with a second-half comeback.
Second-season syndrome is a danger for Brentford after their impressive first Premier League campaign, especially with Christian Eriksen jumping ship for United this summer.
But Frank has bolstered his squad with four new signings and has also managed to keep hold of goal machine Ivan Toney, who will be licking his lips at the prospect of testing ten Hag's defence.
How the bookies view it
I'm surprised to see Brentford as big as 3/1 with Betfred given how poor Manchester United were against Brighton. The best price for ten Hag's side is 17/16 with SBK while the draw pays 45/17 at the same firm.
Recent head to head
Brentford haven't beaten Manchester United since way back in 1938, although the teams have only faced off seven times since then. Both matches ended in wins for the Red Devils last season, with a 3-1 triumph in London (below) followed by a 3-0 victory back at Old Trafford.
Players to watch
It's hard to look past Toney for a Brentford goal after last season's top scorer opened his account for the new term at Leicester last weekend. The striker is 40/17 with VBet for anytime scorer which looks pretty generous.
Bruno Fernandes was a big disappointment for Manchester United last season after an impressive breakthrough campaign. But the Portuguese is always a goal threat and appeals at 12/5 with Paddy Power for anytime scorer.
Anything else catch the eye?
This fixture delivered a lot of goals last season and the way both sides defended last weekend bodes well for another entertaining game. BTTS is a bit too short at a best 13/18 with SBK while over 2.5 goals is only a little better at 5/6 with Betway. But I like over 1.5 first half goals, which pays a decent 35/19 with SBK.
Manchester United picked up four yellows against Brighton while Brentford didn't have any players booked in their opener. Only one card was flashed in this fixture last term and it went to United so try backing them for most cards at 11/8 with Bet365. The same firm offer 10/11 on under 1.5 Brentford cards and that could be worth a look too.
There were 15 corners when United came calling last season and another 11 when Brentford came to Old Trafford. That suggests over 10 corners stands a chance in this one at evens with Bet365.
This English Premier League match between Brentford and Manchester United will be played on Aug 13, 2022 and kick off at 17:30. Check below for our tipsters best Brentford vs Manchester United prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
