Manchester United will aim to kick-start a winning run when they take on Brentford at the Gtech Community Stadium on Saturday.
The 2025/26 Premier League season will continue this weekend with Gameweek 6, and teams will aim to start building momentum for a long season ahead. The latest round of fixtures begins with Brentford vs Manchester United at the Gtech Community Stadium.
Brentford may have shown promising signs after a summer that ravaged the senior setup, but that has not translated into desired results. Despite losing Thomas Frank, Christian Norgaard, Bryan Mbeumo, and Yoane Wissa, the Bees have produced spirited performances. However, it is time for Keith Andrews and his charges to start racking up points, having managed only four points in five games thus far to sit in the 17th spot in the Premier League standings.
On the other hand, Manchester United may have finally started showing signs of progress under Ruben Amorim, even if the results have not justified that. The Red Devils have won the xG battle in most games, and although they are already out of the EFL Cup, the players are absorbing the Portuguese tactician’s instructions. Additionally, the 2-1 win over Chelsea last weekend lifted Manchester United to 11th on the table.
The corresponding fixture last season saw Brentford come from a goal down to beat Manchester United 4-3, with Yoane Wissa scoring the match-winning goal. The Hard Tackle looks closer at the encounter ahead of the latest meeting between the two sides.
Team News & Tactics
Brentford
Keith Andrews has no new injury concerns hampering his preparations ahead of his side’s latest fixture. The Brentford manager will be bereft of the services of only two first-team players vs Manchester United on Saturday.
Gustavo Nunes and Paris Meghoma continue to recover from their hamstring issues. However, the duo is closing in on returning to action. Meanwhile, Andews has been sweating over Reiss Nelson’s fitness, as he has been recovering from an illness. However, the Arsenal loanee should be available to take on Manchester United.
Caoimhin Kelleher is an automatic pick between the sticks, with Manchester United lining up in a 3-4-1-2 formation in front of him vs Manchester United on Saturday. The central defensive unit should feature Sepp van den Berg, Nathan Collins, and Ethan Pinnock. Meanwhile, Michael Kayode and Keane Lewis-Potter will likely start as the two wing-backs.
The wide duo will protect the centre-backs and provide width in the final third. As for the midfield unit, Jordan Henderson will line up alongside Yehor Yarmolyuk in the middle of the park. Finally, Kevin Schade and Igor Thiago will be the two strikers, with Mikkel Damsgaard pulling the strings behind them.
Probable Lineup (3-4-1-2): Kelleher; van den Berg, Collins, Pinnock; Kayode, Henderson, Yarmolyuk, Lewis-Potter; Damsgaard; Schade, Thiago
Manchester United
Unlike his counterpart in the Brentford dugout, Ruben Amorim has a new roster issue to worry about ahead of the trip to the Gtech Community Stadium. The Manchester United manager will be without three first-team players on Saturday.
Casemiro is the latest absentee after being sent off against Chelsea last weekend. The Brazilian international has joined Lisandro Martinez and Diogo Dalot on the sidelines, with the defensive duo unavailable until next month.
Senne Lammens should replace Altay Bayindir between the sticks after another nervy performance from the Turkish goalkeeper last weekend. Manchester United will line up in a 3-4-2-1 formation in front of the Belgian stopper, with the central defensive unit featuring Lenny Yoro, Matthijs de Ligt, and Luke Shaw.
Noussair Mazraoui and Patrick Dorgu will continue as the two wing-backs, with Manuel Ugarte replacing Casemiro as Bruno Fernandes’s partner in the middle of the park. Finally, Benjamin Sesko will lead the line for Manchester United against Brentford, with Bryan Mbeumo and Matheus Cunha completing the numbers in the offensive third.
Probable Lineup (3-4-2-1): Lammens; Yoro, de Ligt, Shaw; Mazraoui, Ugarte, Bruno Fernandes, Dorgu; Mbeumo, Cunha; Sesko
Key Stats
- Brentford have won two of their last three home Premier League games vs Manchester United (D1), as many as their first six home league matches against the Red Devils before this run (W2 D1 L3). After the 4-3 defeat in May, Manchester United could lose back-to-back league meetings with Brentford for only the third time, previously doing so in the second tier in December 1934 and the top flight in February 1937.
- Between February 2020 and January 2022, Manchester United went 13 Premier League games without defeat in London (W8 D5). Since then, they have lost on 15 of 24 visits to the capital (W3 D6).
- Manchester United are without a win in their seven most recent away Premier League matches (D2 L5) since a 3-0 win at Leicester City in March. The Red Devils last had a longer run without a victory on the road between March and October 2019 (eight games).
- Manchester United have produced the most shots in the Premier League this season (81), while Brentford have had the fewest (41). The Red Devils are averaging 16.2 shots in 2025/26, up from 13.9 under Ruben Amorim in 2024/25, while their xG per game is 2.03 compared to 1.33 last season under the Portuguese tactician.
- Brentford have dropped eight points from winning positions in the Premier League thus far in the 2025/26 season, scoring the first goal in four games but winning only one (D1 L2). Only Newcastle United in 1999/00 (11) and Fulham in 2007/08 (9) have ever dropped more points when winning in the first five games of a season.
Player to Watch
Bryan Mbeumo
While Bruno Fernandes, Kevin Schade, and Mikkel Damsgaard were viable candidates for this section, we have picked Bryan Mbeumo as the Player to Watch for Saturday’s Premier League clash between Brentford and Manchester United at the Gtech Community Stadium.
The Cameroonian international has been hot off the blocks for Manchester United, and only Erling Haaland (21) has produced more shots in the Premier League this season than him (15). That is the most shots by a player in their first five Premier League games for Manchester United since Antony in 2022 (18). So, as Mbeumo gets ready to face his former club for the first time since leaving, he will be eager to make his mark for his new team.
Prediction
Brentford 1-2 Manchester United
Saturday’s lunchtime kick-off features two teams that have been vulnerable at the back thus far in the 2025/26 season and are eager to move into the top half of the Premier League table. However, the visitors have shown more quality in the final third, and that may tip the scales in their favour.
While Brentford will not go down without a fight, Manchester United should have enough quality to eke out a narrow victory, with Bryan Mbeumo and Bruno Fernandes delivering the goods. The Hard Tackle predicts a 2-1 win for Ruben Amorim and his charges.
