Manchester United will be hoping to get their top-four bid back on track with victory over Brentford this evening, with Erik ten Hag's men also looking to banish a few demons following the 4-0 drubbing in the two sides' last meeting back in August.
The Red Devils head into tonight's encounter at the Theatre of Dreams having won just three of their last nine Premier League games, with the latest defeat away at Newcastle United having dragged them right back into the scrap for Champions League qualification.
After previous whispers of a potential title charge, United's recent slump has ensured that now even securing fourth spot is no real certainty, with it looking as if the club's hectic fixture schedule may be beginning to take its toll.
A notable issue for the Carabao Cup winners of late has been their shortcomings in front of goal after failing to find the back of the net in any of the last three league games, with January arrival Wout Weghorst still waiting for his first goal in the competition for the club.
Having got by with the towering Dutchman as the main centre-forward presence in recent months, the 30-year-old's distinct lack of quality is beginning to appear a real problem for compatriot, Ten Hag, with the 6 foot 6 colossus having continued his 'dire form' with another 'harmless performance' at St James' Park, in the words of Manchester Evening News journalist, Samuel Luckhurst.
The on-loan Burnley man has been forced to hold the fort amid the frustrating injury woes of fellow forward Anthony Martial, although with the Frenchman having made his long-awaited return off the bench on Tyneside, it should see a change in attack this time around.
Will Martial play against Brentford?
It is a marker of United's woes that they are having to choose between the misfiring Weghorst and an injury-prone Martial to lead the line, although it is hard to deny that the latter man represents the better option.
While it looks as if the former Monaco ace could be in line for a summer exit after almost eight years in Manchester, Ten Hag did admit earlier this season that his side play their "best football" when the £250k-per-week man is leading the line.
The problem has been getting the 30-cap marksman on the pitch on a consistent basis, although when he has featured the fleet-footed enigma has been somewhat effective, scoring six times in 15 outings across all fronts this term.
The 5 foot 11 gem boasts a tally of five goal involvements in only ten league games so far this term, with the hope being that he can go on to bolster that respectable record over the coming weeks.
There is no doubt that the Old Trafford outfit are in need of an upgrade on a player who has scored just eight league goals across the last three campaigns – amid talk of a move for Harry Kane – although when coming down to a straight pick between Weghorst and Martial, there should seemingly be only one winner.
The difference in quality between the pair was evident on Sunday against the Magpies as the former was restricted to a measly tally of just ten touches in his 62-minute outing, while also failing to win a single duel to illustrate his woes out of possession too.
Martial, on the other hand, was far more effective during his late cameo after making a goal-line clearance and seeing a shot deflected wide at the other end, with the 27-year-old making 16 touches and winning two of his three ground duels.
As such, while there may be fears over rushing the returning asset back into the starting lineup too soon, it does appear that the Weghorst experiment simply can't go on any longer.