In many ways, Brentford at least offers a skeleton of what Ralf Rangnick wants Manchester United to be, strange as that may seem.
While it’s clear that Thomas Frank will never have the kind of resources that United have in abundance, his side are one of the best-trained in the Premier League this season, adhering to a defined style of play and set of key principles.
It goes without saying that United will be aiming much higher than that of course, but those are at least the foundations that Rangnick was likely to create at Old Trafford.
Brentford, meanwhile, tend to turn things up at home against one of the so-called big boys.
Arsenal and Liverpool dropped points at the Brentford Community Stadium while Chelsea were close, so it will be fascinating to see how this reasonably grating United side deal with such pressure.
Follow all the action live with Standard Sport’s match blog. Jack Rosser will provide updates from the ground up!
Live updates
First news from the team
Joshua Dasilva (hip), Mathias Jorgensen (thigh), David Raya (knee), Charlie Goode (thigh) and Julian Jeanvier (knee) are all set to be unavailable for Brentford. Frank Onyeka is absent from the Africa Cup of Nations.
United are still without Paul Pogba (hip) and Eric Bailly (AFCON) while Rangnick will have to find a solution to the Anthony Martial situation. The Frenchman suffered a knee injury but refused to attend the Villa game, according to his manager – a claim he has denied.
Luke Shaw and Scott McTominay are back after one-match bans while Marcus Rashford (thigh), Cristiano Ronaldo (hip) and Aaron Wan-Bissaka (illness) are hoping to return.
How to watch tonight’s action
TV channel: The match will be televised on BT Sport 1 and BT Sport Ultimate, with coverage starting at 7.30pm.
Direct: BT Sport subscribers will be able to watch the game online via the BT Sport website or app.
Live Blog: You can follow all the action with Standard Sport’s live blog.
welcome
Good evening and welcome to Standard Sport’s LIVE game coverage between Brentford and Manchester United.
Kick-off at Brentford Community Stadium is at 8pm GMT.
