Key events<\/p>\n
Show key events only<\/p>\n
Please turn on JavaScript to use this feature<\/p>\n
Preamble<\/p>\n
One of the most joyous things about football is how miserable it makes almost everyone \u2013 Arsenal, for example, are top of the table and in the semi-finals of the Champions League, yet there\u2019s no sense anyone connected with them is enjoying any of it.<\/p>\n
Unusually, though, both tonight\u2019s clubs are pretty happy with life. United have near enough secured Champions League football for next season and, since Michael Carrick took over from Ruben Amorim, no side has won more points nor scored more goals. For the first time in a long time, talk of a title challenge doesn\u2019t sound ridiculous.<\/p>\n
Brentford, meanwhile, looked relegation favourites in August, losing some of their best players and their manager too. But Keith Andrews has guided them superbly such that they now sit eighth in the table, and have every chance of securing European football for the first time in their history.<\/p>\n
And make no mistake, they\u2019ll come to Old Trafford to win. It won\u2019t have escaped Andrews\u2019 attention how much United struggled with Leeds\u2019 physicality this time last week and, though tonight\u2019s probable centre-back partnership will be better able to cope with pressure of that sort, Brentford are better at applying it.<\/p>\n
Which is to say that, with both teams committed to attack and needing points but not under pressure, this should be a lot of fun \u2013 unless one of football\u2019s overarching truths decides to the contrary.<\/p>\n
Kick-off: 8pm BST<\/p>\n