Brentford head coach Thomas Frank expects Manchester United to be gunning for revenge when the two sides meet at Old Trafford on Wednesday night.
Brentford, who were beaten 3-0 on their last visit to M16 at the end of last season, thrashed Erik ten Hag's side 4-0 at the Gtech Community Stadium back in August, leaving United bottom of the Premier League table after the opening two rounds of matches. The Bees found themselves 4-0 up by half-time after a blistering first-half showing that United had no answer to.
That defeat in west London, however, was the catalyst for change in United's fortunes, with the club having made significant progress since that August evening. They have ended their six-year wait for a trophy and remain a strong bet to finish inside the top-four, despite failing to win any of their last three league matches.
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Frank, who currently has Brentford sat seventh in the table, has been impressed by the job Ten Hag has overseen and believes his side's trip to Old Trafford could 'potentially be the most difficult game of the season'.
"We are potentially going into the most difficult game of the season, with everything taken into consideration," Frank said. "We are going away to the biggest away ground, with those fans, against a very good side that are much more stable.
"Erik ten Hag and his staff have done a very good job. They've just won their first trophy and they're fighting for a Champions League spot.
"They lost (on Sunday vs Newcastle United) so they will want to bounce back. Plus, we beat them last time, so they'll doubly want to bounce back. And they're a very good team with top players."
Meanwhile, Frank has confirmed that the Londoners, who have already beaten Manchester City on their travels this season, will be without midfielder Vitaly Janelt. He has returned to training following a recent injury but the trip to Manchester will come too soon for him.
Frank added: "Vita had the knee problem but very good news: it was a minor injury against Southampton and he was on the grass today which is positive. But it will probably be too early for Wednesday night."
The Bees will also be without Frank Onyeka because of a hamstring problem.
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