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Football London
Football London
Sport
Uzzi Majid

The inside track on 'vulnerable' Manchester United as Brentford target Premier League upset

Brentford return back to home soil, and it promises to be a big occasion as they welcome Manchester United to Brentford Community Stadium tomorrow night.

The Bees come into this contest on the back of a heavy defeat at Liverpool, and will want to try and get back to winning ways against a disjointed and dysfunctional United side.

The Red Devils arrive in London having drawn at Aston Villa on the weekend, but they were denied all three points through goals from Jacob Ramsey and Philippe Coutinho as Villa came from 2-0 down to take a point.

We spoke to chief Manchester United writer Samuel Luckhurst to get the lowdown on Ralf Rangnick's side ahead of tomorrow night.

It was all going well at Villa Park on Saturday evening, before it went horribly pear-shaped. What went wrong for United on the day?

United's midfield imbalance costs them points regularly. There is not a settled combination and if one comes in to benefit a teammate it is usually to their detriment. Matic is 33 and was pitted against a midfield trio with an average age of 23. His first-half booking compromised him and after United didn't get a second goal in the first 35 minutes Villa eventually entered the contest and became gradually more dominant.

Mason Greenwood is one of England's most gifted forwards but he does not track back and Lucas Digne had Diogo Dalot on toast. Ralf Rangnick's in-game management was dormant and his main substitution (Jadon Sancho) a like-for-like disaster.

Both sides are in abject form at the minute, what are you expecting on Wednesday?

Brentford could rise to the occasion of hosting United in the league for the first time since 1947. The kick-off time should enhance the atmosphere and United have been dominated in their last three away games at bottom-half sides. Brentford should fancy getting a positive result, particularly after beating Arsenal and drawing with Liverpool, even if those results were fuelled by early-season giddiness.

Who has been the standout performer(s) for United this season?

David De Gea has had so much to deal with he has improved and impressed. Ronaldo's match-winning prowess has been pivotal and kept them in the Champions League but he has had a lean spell over the last month or so. Beyond them, that's it.

What weaknesses could Brentford look to exploit?

They don't have a settled back four and they cannot work out the midfield, so they are always vulnerable. Whoever plays next to Raphael Varane, they have had a chastening season so far. Diogo Dalot is a more proactive right-back than Aaron Wan-Bissaka but defensively gettable.

Score prediction?

Another 2-2.

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