Manchester United will look to make it four straight wins in all competitions when they host an in-form Newcastle United at Old Trafford on Sunday afternoon in the Premier League.
The Red Devils are presently fifth in the table with 15 points from their first eight games, while Newcastle are sixth with 14 points despite having played one more game than Erik ten Hag’s side. There is no denying that Ten Hag has had some difficult times as Manchester United manager, most notably the 4-0 loss at Brentford and the 6-3 defeat at Manchester City, but there have also been plenty of promising indicators for the Dutchman.
Thursday’s 1-0 Europa League victory against Omonia, courtesy of a late Scott McTominay goal, extended their winning streak to eight games in all competitions, including five Premier League triumphs over Liverpool, Southampton, Leicester City, Arsenal, and Everton.
A record of five victories and three defeats from eight matches has earned the Red Devils 15 points, putting them in fifth place in the standings, one point behind fourth-placed Chelsea and nine points behind table-topping Arsenal, although with a game in hand. Man United came from behind to defeat Everton in the Premier League last weekend, with Cristiano Ronaldo scoring his first goal of the season, and Ten Hag’s side will now look to extend their excellent run of form with a win over an in-form Newcastle on Sunday afternoon.
The Red Devils will face Tottenham Hotspur, Chelsea, and West Ham United in their next three league games, and it will be interesting to see where the squad stands in the table moving into the break for the 2022 World Cup. Man United have won four of their past five Premier League games against Newcastle, including a 4-1 victory in the equivalent fixture last season, and they are undefeated in league play against Sunday’s opponents at Old Trafford since December 2013.
Newcastle, on the other hand, are now a team to be taken seriously, with the club’s recent change of ownership allowing them to bring in a higher calibre of player to St James’ Park. Eddie Howe has a fantastic record as head coach since taking over last November, winning 17, drawing 10 and losing 11 of his 38 matches, and the 44-year-old has overseen a solid start to this season, with the squad presently lying sixth in the league, enjoying 14 points from their first 9 games.
Indeed, the Magpies won 4-1 at Fulham on October 1 before thrashing Brentford 5-1 last weekend, and their only setback of the season came at Liverpool at the end of August, with Fabio Carvalho scoring in the eighth minute of extra time at the completion of 90 minutes.
Newcastle are outsiders for a top-six finish this season, and they will play six more league games before the World Cup, including a trip to Tottenham on October 23.
Team News
Man United will be without McTominay this weekend owing to his suspension for the yellow card he received in the victory against Everton last Saturday.
Donny van de Beek, Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Brandon Williams, Axel Tuanzebe, and Harry Maguire are all still out with injuries, while Mason Greenwood is still on suspension from the club.
Raphael Varane has been in the squad for the previous two games after recovering from injury, and he is due to return to the first XI on Sunday, with Luke Shaw also expected to start.
Christian Eriksen is expected to return to midfield with Casemiro and Bruno Fernandes, while Ronaldo is expected to hold his position at centre-forward, with Anthony Martial a fitness question owing to a back injury and Jadon Sancho having recently dropped out of Ten Hag’s preferred starting XI.
Newcastle will be without Karl Darlow, Alexander Isak, Jonjo Shelvey, Matt Ritchie, and Emil Krafth this weekend. The Magpies have no new injury worries from the team that started against Brentford, so a similar XI is likely on Sunday. The only difference might be in the final third, where Allan Saint-Maximin is set to start instead of Jacob Murphy, with Callum Wilson at centre-forward and Miguel Almiron on the left.
Bruno Guimaraes scored twice against Brentford and has been in excellent form this season, and the Brazilian will start in the centre of the park for Howe’s team once more.
