Manchester United will start the Premier League weekend with a trip to the capital to face Brentford in the lunchtime kick-off at the Gtech Community Stadium. Both teams are currently occupying a place in the bottom half of the table, with the Red Devils in 11th position, and the Bees in 17th spot after five games.
Softfootball believes that the mood in the United camp should be high following the 2-1 win over Chelsea last time out as captain Bruno Fernandes notched his 100th goal for the club.
However, back-to-back league wins under Ruben Amorim has proven to be an impossible task for the Red Devils since the managerial change almost a year ago and they are yet to record an away victory in any competition so far this season.
Brentford, meanwhile, have been strong at home under new head coach Keith Andrews and snatched a point in injury time against west London rivals Chelsea earlier in the month.
Just three points separates the two clubs heading into this afternoon game, though the incentive for Man United is a win will move them level on points with Arsenal and Tottenham albeit for a few hours at least.
The home side are hopeful of having Paris Maghoma and Gustavo Nunes available for selection after injury. That said, no fresh fitness concerns were reported after the loss to Fulham, meaning Brentford should be well rested after having a full week to prepare for the visit of United.
Brentford Confirmed XI as seen on their X handle: Caoimhín Kelleher, Michael Kayode, Sepp van den Berg, Nathan Collins, Aaron Hickey, Jordan Henderson, Yehor Yarmoliuk, Mikkel Damsgaard, Dango Ouattara, Kevin Schade, Igor Thiago
Subs: Valdimarsson, Henry, Pinnock, Jensen, Onyeka, Milambo, Ajer, Lewis-Potter, Janelt
Ruben Amorim will be without Casemiro this afternoon with the Brazil international serving a one-match suspension as a result of the red card he picked up against Chelsea. His countryman Matheus Cunha made his return from a hamstring injury that evening off the bench, however, having missed the Manchester derby.
Mason Mount was also forced off against Burnley before the international break and while he was not involved last weekend, the former Chelsea star has been back in training and is available today.
Diogo Dalot has also been a recent absentee as a result of a muscle issue he picked up while on international duty with Portugal.
Diogo Dalot returned to training this week after missing the Manchester derby and the win over Chelsea through injury. It remains to be seen if the full-back will earn an immediate recall to the matchday squad, but there are doubts over Noussair Mazraoui as he was not spotted in the aforementioned session.
Noussair Mazraoui meanwhile has been ruled out until after the October international break. The only other player unavailable this week is Lisandro Martinez. The Argentina international suffered an ACL injury at the start of the year but is making good progress in his bid to return to action.
The defender has been back in light training the last two weeks with hope he will soon be back available for selection. In Casemiro’s absence, there is a midfield spot available with Kobbie Mainoo still waiting for his first start in the league this season.
Amorim however has previously stated Mainoo is competing for Bruno Fernandes’ role in his midfield two – with the skipper unlikely to be shifted anytime soon.
Lisandro Martinez is making good progress following knee surgery earlier in the year, but the Argentine is not expected to be available for action for at least another month or so.
Manchester United Confirmed XI: Bayindir, Dalot, De Ligt, Maguire, B. Fernandes, Cunha, Dorgu, Mbeumo, Shaw, Ugarte, Sesko
Subs: Heaton, Lammens, Fredricson, Heaven, Leon, Yoro, Mainoo, Mount, Zirkzee.
Oh, bless them both! Man United trying *so* hard to stay relevant, eh? Almost managed a win against Chelsea, then promptly forgot how! 😂 And Brentford, sitting pretty at home, snatching points like it’s going out of style. Almost makes you think… maybe United should just stick to playing their rivals? 😉 At least they’re trying, even if it’s like watching a toddler learn to ride a bike without training wheels. Good luck to everyone involved – should be a fun (and probably chaotic) afternoon!