Manchester United will host Newcastle United at Old Trafford on Saturday after Boxing Day in what is the only Premier League match scheduled for that day, Softfootball reports.
United come into this game looking to bounce back after a recent 2-1 defeat from Aston Villa which exposed ongoing defensive and creative problems.
Currently, Manchester United sit in 7th place in the Premier League table with 17 games played so far, picking up 26 points from 7 wins, 5 draws and 5 losses.
Manchester United announced the scheduled match on their official X handle;
Newcastle United on the other hand, sit around the 11th place, holding 23 points from 6 wins, 5 draws and 6 losses in 17 games played which shows how competitive they are but inconsistent.
In their most recent Premier League game, Newcastle drew 2–2 with Chelsea, taking an early two-goal lead which shows both their attacking strength and defensive vulnerability.
In the last six meetings between Manchester United and Newcastle United, Man United has had one win, 0 draws and 5 losses while Newcastle has had 5 wins, 0 draws and just one loss.
This just shows that Newcastle has had better results over United recently despite their positive overall record where Man United has dominated by winning 35 out of their 60 matches with Newcastle winning 12.
In a pre-match conference shared in the club’s official YouTube channel, Reuben Amorim talked about the players missing from the squad due to injury and how they would cope with it. He said;
I’m confident that we can win any game. Of course, we have some problems but we need to, I believe in the team. Even without many players at this moment, I believe in the team and I believe we can win any game. Of course, it’s more difficult but we, again, I trust in my players and uh, if we are really focused in the game we can win.
Watch the full pre-match conference below;
Newcastle Manager, Eddie Howe also spoke ahead of the game which was shared on the club’s official X handle;
Team News
One of Manchester United’s biggest challenges is the absence of captain Bruno Fernandes who is down with a hamstring injury and potentially ruling him out of the match.
Kobbie Mainoo is also out as confirmed by Softfootball because of a calf issue picked up during training. Harry Maguire and Matthijs de Ligt are unavailable due to knocks.
Newcastle also has a list of injury concerns, Dan Burn, Emil Krafth, and Jamaal Lascelles are unavailable. Goalkeeper Nick Pope might also be fit to start in this fixture.
Possible Lineups
Manchester United (3-4-2-1)
Senne Lammens; Leny Yoro, Ayden Heaven, Luke Shaw; Diogo Dalot, Casemiro, Manuel Ugarte, Patrick Dorgu; Mason Mount, Matheus Cunha, Benjamin Sesko
Newcastle United (4-3-3)
Aaron Ramsdale; Lewis Miley, Malick Thiaw, Fabian Schär, Lewis Hall; Bruno Guimaraes, Sandro Tonali, Joelinton; Jacob Murphy, Nick Woltemade, Anthony Gordon
Softfootball’s Prediction
Because Manchester United are major favorites and Newcastle’s form has been mixed lately, Manchester United could have a chance at winning 2-1.
