Aiming to snap a three-game run without a win or goal in the Premier League, Manchester United welcome Brentford to Old Trafford on Wednesday evening.
The Red Devils were comprehensively beaten 2-0 by Newcastle United at the weekend, while the Bees were pegged back three times in a 3-3 thriller with Brighton & Hove Albion.
But Ten Hag has spoken of a need for his United men to learn lessons from our defeat to Newcastle at the weekend, and three points are required if we are to regain momentum in our hunt for a Champions League place.
Casemiro’s domestic suspension still applies, meaning he misses this game as well as the visit of Everton on Saturday. Christian Eriksen is edging closer to a return to first-team training, but Alejandro Garnacho, Tom Heaton (both ankle) and Donny van de Beek (knee) are still sidelined.
Aaron Wan-Bissaka was ill for Sunday’s defeat at Newcastle, but Anthony Martial managed half an hour as a substitute in his first appearance since early February.
As far as the visitors are concerned, Shandon Baptiste is back from a one-match suspension but Keane Lewis-Potter and Kristoffer Ajer are long-term absentees. Vitaly Janelt is a doubt, having missed the draws against Leicester and Brighton due to a knee problem.
United are searching for a first Premier League win since 19 February, when a Marcus Rashford double helped us dispatch Leicester City 3-0. Jadon Sancho’s strike in that game was our most recent top-flight goal and we’ll obviously be looking to bring that scoreless stretch to an end against the Bees on Wednesday.
Our recent home form must provide some comfort. Only Leeds and Southampton have escaped M16 with a point in the last six months and no team in the Premier League have conceded fewer than the eight goals we’ve shipped on our own patch.
Brentford have been hard to beat this term, with only Everton managing to get the better of the west Londoners since a 4-0 reverse to Aston Villa in late October. While significant wins have been recorded against Manchester City and Liverpool in the meantime, the Bees are the Premier League’s draw specialists.
Of their 28 fixtures so far, 13 have finished level, including three of the last five on the road. Frank’s men were close to beating fellow high-flyers Brighton on Saturday, taking the lead three times at the Amex Stadium but drawing 3-3, with the final word arriving via Alexis Mac Allister’s penalty in injury-time.
This will be our 17th competitive meeting with Brentford and the ninth clash between the sides at Old Trafford. The Bees have won in M16 only once, way back in 1937, and United ran out 3-0 victors in the last iteration of this fixture, played on 2 May 2022.
Bruno Fernandes, Cristiano Ronaldo and Raphael Varane were on the scoresheet for the Reds, as the departing Nemanja Matic, Juan Mata and Edinson Cavani were all given the opportunity to bid farewell to supporters prior to leaving the club.
Manchester United possible starting lineup:
De Gea; Wan-Bissaka, Varane, Martinez, Malacia; Sabitzer, Fred; Sancho, Fernandes, Rashford; Martial
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