Finishing in the Champions League places was supposed to be the bare minimum, but it appears like United will fall short of that target.
Follow Us
Manchester United will be bringing an end to their home campaign in the current season on Monday night when they play Brentford. The clash at Old Trafford will allow fans the opportunity to see their team enter the home turf for the final time in a disappointing campaign. United have 55 points from 35 games in the Premier League standings. With only three games left to play this campaign, a top-four finish seems all but over. However, they still need to finish the season in top-six positions in order to seal a Europa League place. For that to happen they somehow have to finish above West Ham United, who are currently occupying the seventh place, having secured 52 points from 34 games.
READ MORE – Manchester United vs Chelsea: Talking points from United’s draw against the Blues
Brentford have reached the magical 40-point mark, meaning they have survived the relegation battle. However, they have very little to play for in their final four games of the season. Currently occupying the 14th spot, they will look to end the season as higher up as possible. On the other hand, Manchester United have performed well below expectations. Finishing in the Champions League places was supposed to be the bare minimum, but it appears like they will fall short of that target. As a result, they must aim for a top-six finish in order to qualify for the Europa League. For that to happen, they need to secure as many points as possible in the final three matches, starting with the game against Brentford on Monday night.
Manchester United received a major blow in the form of Jadon Sancho’s injury ahead of the Brentford game. Infact Sancho was absent from the team when United held Chelsea to a 1-1 draw on Thursday night. He joined Edinson Cavani, Fred, Harry Maguire, Paul Pogba and Luke Shaw on the sidelines. Besides, Jesse Lingard and Aaron Wan-Bissaka were also on the absentees’ list for the clash at Old Trafford against the Blues. “Jadon might be out for the rest of the season with his tonsillitis,” said interim manager Ralf Rangnick. On the other hand, Brentford manager Thomas Frank will miss four first-team players with Ethan Pinnock, Saman Ghoddos, Sergi Canos and Frank Onyeka sustaining injuries recently.
READ MORE – Major blow for Manchester United, Jadon Sancho could be out for the season
However, Rangnick had also given some positive news ahead of the clash. “Right now, I don’t know but I hope Fred will make it for the Brentford game,” he said after the Chelsea match. “Edinson Cavani is supposed to come back to training tomorrow [Friday] but then again, the question is he has been missing for the last four or five weeks, quite a long time, is he really a player who could then play against Brentford? Probably not to start with but at least from the bench. Apart from that, we have to wait and see. Harry Maguire [also missed the game vs Chelsea], Jesse was missing for personal, family reasons today. I hope that some of those players will be back on Monday.”
Manchester United possible line-up: De Gea, Dalot, Lindelof, Varane, Telles, Fred, McTominay, Fernandes, Rashford, Elanga, Ronaldo
Brentford possible line-up: Raya, Roerslev, Ajer, Jansson, Sorensen, Henry, Norgaard, Janelt, Eriksen, Mbeumo, Toney
The high-octane Premier League battle between Manchester United and Brentford will take place at Old Trafford and it will kick off at 12:30 am IST on Tuesday, May 3. The late kick-off on Monday night will round off another action-packed weekend, as the season draws to its close.
The match will be live streamed on the Hotstar app and website. Meanwhile, football fans in India can also enjoy the action on TV networks, as the competition is telecast live on the Star Sports network.
Manchester City vs Liverpool: Talking points from the action-packed draw
