Manchester United, now in the thick of a heated top four battle they had hoped to avoid, host Brentford at Old Trafford looking to rebound from a damaging defeat just days ago.
The Red Devils were soundly beaten by Newcastle as the Magpies leapt into third in the Premier League table. United, for their trouble, were dumped all the way to fifth, now level with both Newcastle and Tottenham on points, but holding an inferior goal differential.
Still without Casemiro, the United midfield looked exposed against a spirited Newcastle side at a boisterous St. James' Park. Now back in the friendly confines of the Theatre of Dreams, the Red Devils will hope to reverse their fortunes, but it won't be easy against a Brentford side that has downed big teams in recent weeks.
Thomas Frank has the Bees in a strong position, sitting ninth and pushing for a European place. They have some ground to make up, three points behind sixth-placed Brighton for the final Conference League berth.
LIVE BLOG: Follow along with commentary, highlights, and updates for Man United vs. Brentford
The Sporting News football betting expert Kyle Bonn shares his best bets, props, and high risk/high return fliers for some of the biggest matches in the sport each week. Since the start of 2023, his best bets have hit 52.6% of the time, while his overall selections have generated a profit of over 46 units thus far. He has also correctly predicted 44 of 78 match outcomes via his three-way moneyline leans to date.
Man United vs Brentford match facts
- Date: Wednesday, April 5
- Kickoff time: 3 p.m. EDT / 8 p.m. BST / 5 a.m. AEST (Thu, Apr. 6)
- Stadium: Old Trafford (Manchester, England)
- Referee: John Brooks
- Last meeting: Brentford 4-0 Man United (Aug. 13, 2022 | Premier League)
Man United vs Brentford prediction, odds
- Moneyline lean: Draw (+320)
- Against the spread lean (handicap): Brentford +0.5 (+125)
- Score prediction: Man United 2-2 Brentford
Despite Sunday's negative result, Manchester United remain significant favourites here thanks to the fortress of Old Trafford, where they have lost just once this season, coming way back in the opening match of the season.
Brentford are heavy underdogs despite their good form all season long, and despite United's inability to win any of their last three league matches. Is a long season battling on multiple fronts catching up with the Red Devils? It sure looked like it against Newcastle, especially in the absence of Casemiro.
There's been little line movement in terms of the teams and the result, but there's been a significant late shift in the last 24 hours towards more goals, with the over 2.5 goal total moving from -145 to -175.
| Man United win | Draw | Brentford win | Both teams to score Y / N | Over / Under 2.5 goals | MUN -0.5 | BRE +0.5 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BetMGM (USA) | -160 | +310 | +400 | -160 / +110 | -175 / +125 | -175 | +120 |
| Sports Interaction (Canada) | -197 | +344 | +447 | -164 / +105 | -167 / +132 | -173 | +133 |
| SkyBet (UK) | 8/13 | 3/1 | 17/4 | 4/6, 11/10 | 4/6, 11/10 | — | — |
| Neds (Australia) | 1.62 | 3.90 | 5.25 | 1.70 / 2.05 | 1.70 / 2.15 | — | — |
| Dafabet (India) | 1.65 | 4.00 | 5.00 | 1.69 / 2.04 | 1.70 / 2.15 | 1.64 | 2.25 |
Man United vs Brentford best bet
- Pick: Over 3.5 total goals
- Odds: +165 (BetMGM)
Manchester United were locked down completely by Newcastle, but it's hard to watch that match and think there are lingering problems that Erik ten Hag can't solve. The loss of Casemiro is big, but this United midfield has decent players that should be able to overcome the blip and create better chances up front.
Brentford, however, can score in bunches, as United found out the hard way in the reverse fixture earlier this season. In fact, they love getting into shootouts. Since the new year, Brentford have beaten Fulham and Liverpool in barnburners, and drew with Brighton on the road. They are very comfortable in chaotic games, which this has the potential to be.
Man United vs Brentford prop bet
- Pick: Bryan Mbeumo to score or assist a goal
- Odds: +195 (FanDuel)
While Ivan Toney is of course the biggest goal threat for Brentford, Bryan Mbeumo is the man to watch in this matchup. Why? Manchester United are exceptionally good at locking down star strikers, but this has opened the door for wingers to profit.
This season, Manchester United managed to keep the following players off the scoresheet from open play for the course of a match: Harry Kane, Erling Haaland, Robert Lewandowski, Aleksandar Mitrovic, Ollie Watkins, and Aleksandar Isak. Who scored against them in those games? Jack Grealish, Raphinha, Daniel James, Jacob Ramsey, and Joe Willock.
They've also conceded goals to Pascal Gross (twice), Bukayo Saka, Mohamed Salah, Cody Gakpo, Said Benrahma, Wilfried Gnoto, Jeffrey Schlupp, and Ayoze Perez. Erling Haaland's hat-trick in the first Manchester derby of the season and Eddie Nketiah's brace are really the only times a central striker has truly ravaged Manchester United this year. Bet on the wide men to cause the Red Devils problems.
Man United vs Brentford live stream, TV channel
MORE: Watch Premier League matches live with fuboTV in USA
| TV channel | Streaming | |
|---|---|---|
| USA | — | Peacock |
| Canada | — | Fubo Canada |
| UK | — | — |
| Australia | — | Stan Sport |
| New Zealand | Sky Sport Premier League | Sky Sports |
| India | Star Sports Select 2 | Hotstar VIP, JioTV |
| Hong Kong | Now Premier League (Ch. 620, 622) | Now E, Now Player |
| Malaysia | Astro SuperSport 3 | Astro Go, sooka |
| Singapore | 221 Hub Premier 1 | StarHub TV+ |
