Preview: Brentford vs. Manchester United - prediction, team news, lineups

Manchester United will be looking to give their Premier League top-four hopes a boost when they make the trip to West London to face Brentford on Wednesday night.

The Red Devils are currently seventh in the table, five points behind fourth-placed West Ham United, while Brentford occupy 14th position, 10 points clear of the relegation zone.

Match preview

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Brentford have won five, drawn nine and lost 10 of their 21 Premier League matches this season to collect 23 points, which has left them in 14th position in the table, 10 points clear of 18th-placed Norwich City on the same number of games.

The Bees won back-to-back games against Aston Villa and Port Vale in the league and FA Cup earlier this month but have lost their last two against Southampton and Liverpool in England's top flight, conceding seven times in the process and scoring just once.

The Brentford Community Stadium should be bouncing on Wednesday, as Thomas Frank's side go in search of their seventh Premier League victory of the season, and they have already recorded four wins in front of their own supporters in the league this term, with three of those victories coming in their last four at home.

Brentford have not beaten Man United since 1938, but Wednesday's contest will be their first clash in the league since 1947, when the two sides played out a goalless draw.

The Bees have shown that they are more than capable of competing at this level, and Frank's side are only two points behind 10th-placed Leicester City, although the Foxes have only played 18 matches in the Premier League this term.

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Man United, meanwhile, will enter the contest off the back of a 2-2 draw with Aston Villa on Saturday night; the Red Devils took a two-goal lead at Villa Park courtesy of a brace from Bruno Fernandes but conceded twice in the latter stages to share the points with Steven Gerrard's side.

The performance was arguably the team's best since Ralf Rangnick's arrival as interim head coach, but it was a further indication of their shortcomings, having been unable to hold off the pressure from the home side, with former Liverpool attacker Philippe Coutinho coming up with the equaliser in the 81st minute.

The Red Devils have picked up 32 points from their 20 matches, which has left them in seventh spot in the table, five points behind fourth-placed West Ham with two games in hand.

Tottenham Hotspur are only four points behind West Ham with four games in hand on David Moyes's side, though, so it is difficult to look too closely at the positions between fourth and seventh, while Wolverhampton Wanderers in eighth are now just a point behind Man United.

The Red Devils have only won four of their 10 away league matches this season, but they are unbeaten on their travels in England's top flight since the 4-1 loss at Watford on November 20, which led to Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's departure as head coach.

Team News

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Brentford will again be without the services of Julian Jeanvier, David Raya, Charlie Goode and Josh Dasilva for this match through injury, while Mathias Jorgensen remains a doubt.

The Bees are also missing Frank Onyeka due to his involvement in the Africa Cup of Nations, but Rico Henry returned from injury to feature in the 3-0 defeat to Liverpool.

Frank will be wary of overplaying Henry, so Sergi Canos could come into the starting XI, while Mathias Jensen is pushing to replace Shandon Baptiste in the middle of the park. There will be no alterations in the final third of the field, though, with Ivan Toney again being joined by Bryan Mbeumo.

As for Man United, Paul Pogba remains on the sidelines with a thigh problem, while Eric Bailly is unavailable due to his involvement in the Africa Cup of Nations.

Aaron Wan-Bissaka also remains a doubt through illness, but Cristiano Ronaldo is expected to recover from a hip injury to return to the starting XI, while Marcus Rashford could be involved after missing out at the weekend due to a dead leg.

Luke Shaw and Scott McTominay are both available following one-game suspensions and should return, while Harry Maguire is in line to feature in the starting XI, having been on the bench on Saturday.

Anthony Elanga could keep his spot, though, with the 19-year-old impressing against Villa, with Victor Lindelof, Alex Telles, Nemanja Matic and Edinson Cavani potentially dropping out of the side.

Brentford possible starting lineup:
Fernandez; Ajer, Jansson, Pinnock; Rasmussen, Janelt, Norgaard, Jensen, Canos; Toney, Mbeumo

Manchester United possible starting lineup:
De Gea; Dalot, Varane, Maguire, Shaw; Fred, McTominay; Elanga, Fernandes, Greenwood; Ronaldo

We say: Brentford 1-2 Manchester United

This has all the makings of a brilliant game, as Brentford will attack Man United in search of three points. The Red Devils will need to show improvement in order to triumph, and we are backing the 20-time English champions to pick up an important win ahead of their home game with West Ham on Saturday.

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