Key events
It’s been a difficult second half of the season for Amad who, as a dribbler, offers a threat that no other United player does, and is also an excellent scavenger for possession. But his numbers are nowhere near where they need to be, which is presumably why he was left out at Chelsea.
Either Amad or Bryan Mbeumo will be playing out of position tonight. I’d imagine it’ll be Amad on the right and Mbeumo on the left, as the latter has the pace and power to go on the outside, the former less so.
Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall is in the sky studio, for some reason dressed as Ernst Stavro Blofeld.
As for Brentford, Andrews picks the same side for the third match in a row – partly a facility of those injuries – but Josh Dasilva is back on the bench after nobbling his knee in February 2024 and missing the entirety of last season. Godspeed, old mate.
So looking at that United XI, Harry Maguire returns after suspension, replacing Noussair Mazraoui, while Amad Diallo is back in with Cunha out. Otherwise, Patrick Dorgu is back on the bench having jiggered his hamstring at Arsenal in January, while Shea Lacey is rewarded for his excellent age-gpoup performances, included on the bench despite playing yesterday.
Now here’s Keith Andrews, and you’ll be delighted to know his barnet is looking lush. Brentford have earned the right to go into this match in a confident manner and though they’ve not earned as many points as he’d like in recent weeks, he’s been fairly happy with the performances; though he’s got injury problems, there’s a special togetherness within the group and he wants them to play with personality.
On Ciaomhin Kelleher, he says he’s known him a long time through Ireland, so when he became available, signing him was a no-brainer – and he felt it’d be a good move for the player.
Before we go over those, Michael Carrick is talking to Sky, telling them he wanted to get Kobbie Mainoo on to the pitch enjoying himself – he needed to find himself and against Chelsea, he was excellent – without giving him too much guidance.
On Ayden Heaven, he says he’s got the talent and did so well in the last game, he’s kept his place.
Otherwise, he’s been asked about what business the club needs to do in the summer and however long he’s there, he’s not taking short-term decisions, he wants the best for the football club. However long it goes on, he’s really enjoying working with the players.
Matheus Cunha hurt his hip flexor at Chelsea and improved during the week but they’re not risking him tonight.
Teams!
Manchester United (4-2-3-1): Lammens; Dalot, Maguire, Heaven, Shaw; Casemiro, Mainoo; Amad, Fernandes, Mbeumo; Sesko. Subs: Bayindir, Dorgu, Malacia, Mazraoui, Yoro, Mount, Ugarte, Lacey, Zirkzee.
Brentford (4-2-3-1): Kelleher; Kayode, Collins, Van Den Berg, Lewis-Potter- Jensen, Yarmoliuk; Schade, Damsgaard, Ouattara; Thiago. Subs: Valdimarsson, Hickey, Pinnock, Dasilva, Nelson, Ajer, Donovan, Furo, Shield.
Referee: Chris Kavangh (Ashton-under-Lyne)
Preamble
One of the most joyous things about football is how miserable it makes almost everyone – Arsenal, for example, are top of the table and in the semi-finals of the Champions League, yet there’s no sense anyone connected with them is enjoying any of it.
Unusually, though, both tonight’s clubs are pretty happy with life. United have near enough secured Champions League football for next season and, since Michael Carrick took over from Ruben Amorim, no side has won more points nor scored more goals. For the first time in a long time, talk of a title challenge doesn’t sound ridiculous.
Brentford, meanwhile, looked relegation favourites in August, losing some of their best players and their manager too. But Keith Andrews has guided them superbly such that they now sit eighth in the table, and have every chance of securing European football for the first time in their history.
And make no mistake, they’ll come to Old Trafford to win. It won’t have escaped Andrews’ attention how much United struggled with Leeds’ physicality this time last week and, though tonight’s probable centre-back partnership will be better able to cope with pressure of that sort, Brentford are better at applying it.
Which is to say that, with both teams committed to attack and needing points but not under pressure, this should be a lot of fun – unless one of football’s overarching truths decides to the contrary.
Kick-off: 8pm BST
