Newcastle can consolidate their position in the chase for a Champions League place against a still out-of-sorts Manchester United.
By Ian King
United on United
Newcastle had some good news this week without even kicking a ball, with Arsenal’s win against Real Madrid guaranteeing five English qualifiers into next year’s Champions League. They’ve also won four in a row since getting knocked out of the FA Cup by Brighton last month.
News of Manchester United’s revival may have been slightly over-exaggerated. They’ve only lost one of their last five, but it remains the case that, of the four League wins they’ve managed in the 15 games played since their 2-1 win at Manchester City in the middle of December, three of them have come against those occupying the relegation places.
Newcastle aiming for a historic double
Newcastle have won three of the last four meetings between these two, including a 2-0 win at Old Trafford in December. A Newcastle win would complete their first League double against Manchester United since 1930/31, when they won 7-4 at Old Trafford and 4-3 at St James’ Park.
Key players
Two Newcastle players will need to be on their best behaviour. Dan Burn and Joelinton must get through their next two Premier League games while avoiding yellow cards or face a two match suspension. The cut-off point for collecting 10 yellow cards and being served a two match ban falls after this match and their upcoming midweek game against Crystal Palace, next Wednesday.
From a Manchester United perspective, all eyes will be on goalkeeper André Onana following two pretty egregious goalkeeping mistakes which handed Lyon a 2-2 draw in their Europa League match. This sort of thing just keeps on happening, doesn’t it? On a more positive front, Leny Yoro scored his first goal for the club during this match; his performances in an otherwise struggling team have been one of the few standouts of their season so far.
Team News
Newcastle have two potential key absentees for this match. Joe Willock will definitely be out because of FA concussion protocols following a head injury towards the end of their recent match at Brentford, while it remains to be seen whether Anthony Gordon will be considered fit enough to play after picking up a groin injury on international duty for England. Sven Botman, Jamaal Lascelles and Lewis Hall will also be absent.
Manchester United’s injury problems are easing somewhat, with Kobbie Mainoo making a brief appearance against Lyon, though Matthijs de Ligt, Ayden Heaven and Toby Collyer will all be missing alongside Amad Diallo, who’s out for the rest of this season.
Prediction
It doesn’t take much to cast a dark cloud over Manchester United these days, and Onana’s antics in France on Thursday night have had precisely that effect. United’s mushiness in front of goal coupled with Newcastle’s fire power and need for points to maintain their Champions League chase indicates a comfortable home win. I’ll go for a 2-0 home win and no end to Manchester United’s 2024/25 purgatory of form.
(Cover image from IMAGO)
You can follow every game from the Premier League with FotMob this season – featuring deep stats coverage, xG, and player ratings. Download the free app here.