(Update: United’s Tuesday night Premier League match against Brentford has now been officially postponed.)
Manchester United could do some squad rotation when they visit the Bees at the Brentford FC Community Stadium tomorrow night. It’s a chance for some fringe footballers and bench players to “Bee” present in the starting XI. Jesse Lingard and Donny van de Beek should get first team assignments here.
Luke Shaw, despite being physically fit, was overlooked in favor of Alex Telles on the weekend. Expect him to return to the first team here. That said, let’s take a look at the rest of the potential starting lineup.
Manchester United at Brentford FC FYIs
Kickoff: Tue Dec 14, 7:30pm, Brentford Community Stadium
Team News for Both Sides: go here
Premier League Form Guide: Man United WWWDL Brentford WDLWD
Premier League Position: Man United 5th, 27 pts Brentford 10th, 20 pts
Manchester United Starting XI Prediction at Brentford FC
David de Gea; Luke Shaw, Victor Eric Bailly, Harry Maguire, Diogo Dalot; Nemanja Matic, Donny van de Beek; Jesse Lingard, Jadon Sancho; Mason Greenwood
Overall, we’re going with kind of a younger lineup here, in this 4-2-3-1 formation. Was tempted to slot Dean Henderson in here, but United’s No. 2 hasn’t been given much league playing time this season. Also, De Gea really bailed out the team this past weekend.
Fixture Forecasting
Odds: Man United Win -115 Draw +260 Brentford FC Win +290
Google Result Probability: Man United Win 52% Draw 25% Brentford FC Win 23%
Prediction: Man United 1, Brentford FC 0
The Norwich result left a lot to be desired, but in the end, the Red Devils got all three points. Expect a similar outcome here in midweek.
Paul M. Banks is the owner/manager of The Bank (TheSportsBank.Net) and author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” as well as “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He has regularly appeared in WGN, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune, and co-hosts the After Extra Time podcast. Follow him on Twitter and Instagram.