One would imagine a midweek match between Manchester United and Brentford would be a no-brainer for Premier League broadcasters, but unfortunately, tonight's game at Old Trafford won't be live in either Ireland or the UK. If you're wondering how to watch Manchester v Brentford on TV tonight, we've got bad news for you.
The blackout is certainly a strange one, that all comes down to a bizarre Premier League rule that will be sure to annoy broadcasters and fans alike tonight. The root of the problem goes all the way back to early February when Man United's encounter with Brentford was postponed to facilitate their League Cup final.
When is Manchester United v Brentford?
Manchester United take on Brentford at Old Trafford at 20:00 on Wednesday 5th April.
Why is Manchester United v Brentford not live on TV?
Unfortunately for fans, Manchester United v Brentford won't be on TV in Ireland or the UK tonight. This all goes back to the timing of the original fixture date on the 1st of February.
Originally set for Wednesday the 1st of February, broadcasters had chosen not to broadcast the game live, more than likely as a result of the League Cup Semi-final being played the same night which achieved record viewing numbers for Sky Sports.
As luck would have it, Manchester United themselves ended up in that semi-final beating Nottingham Forest 2-0 before going on to win the Cup. The clash left the Premier League with little choice but to postpone the Brentford game, eventually refixing it for tonight.
Premier League rules dictate that if a game is not set to be broadcast on its original date, it will be ineligible to be broadcast should the date be changed. Undoubtedly the unusual rule will have fans and broadcasters scratching their heads tonight. From the outside, it certainly seems like an opportunity lost given the game's midweek position.
As the original game was not scheduled for the UK's blackout time at 3pm on a Saturday, Irish broadcaster Premier Sports are unable to pick up the rescheduled fixture either, a truly bizarre rule meaning that despite no broadcasting clashes the game won't be broadcast in Ireland or the UK.
Can I watch highlights of the game on TV?
Sky Sports Premier League will show the game's highlights for a half-hour at 10:30pm on Wednesday night. Just before the highlights, Sky Sports will be broadcasting Wednesday's other Premier League game between West Ham and Newcastle live, one the neutrals might want to tune into.
Form guide and head-to-head
Fifth-place Manchester United are definitely tonight's favourite. However, they lost 2-0 to Newcastle on Sunday, and in the past few weeks were thrashed 7-0 by Liverpool. Despite that, they've had some solid wins too and sit fifth in the table par on points with Tottenham with two games in hand. Overall Ten Hag's side are in a good position with plenty to play for.
🔺 Reaction from Sunday
🔺 Taking responsibility
🔺 Being back at Old Trafford
Hear from the boss ahead of tonight's clash 💬⬇️#MUFC || #MUNBRE— Manchester United (@ManUtd) April 5, 2023
For Brentford, they sit in the upper half of the table in ninth place. It's been a brilliant season for them. They've had their fair share of mixed results with their most recent endeavour draws against Brighton and Leicester. They're highlight has the be there 1-1 draw with table leaders Arsenal in February, their only loss since then a 1-0 defeat to Everton.
✅ Preparations complete
🔜 Manchester United pic.twitter.com/PDiEAuaigz— Brentford FC (@BrentfordFC) April 4, 2023
Despite Manchester United winning two of their last four encounters, last August Brentford thrashed the side 4-0, while a repeat of that is unlikely Brentford have been swinging hard at the top teams and if they catch Man United dwelling on the weekends loss to Newcastle they could exploit it. However, Erik Ten Hag should be reasonably confident in his sides fortunes for the home encounter.
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