Manchester United travel to the Tyneside to face off with Newcastle United on Sunday. Both teams are poor on form as the Red Devils are winless in their last 10 away meetings while Newcastle are seeking their first home win of the season.
The fixture marks the 400th managerial game for Newcastle boss Steve Bruce as he searches his 1st win against a side he represented previously as a player.
The Red Devils are on a wretched run of form since the 4-0 win over over Chelsea on the opening day and have mustered only 7 goals since then.
The come into the game after a frustrating 0-0 draw at the hands of AZ Alkmaar on Thursday night in the UEFA Europa League clash. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side didn’t have a single shot on target vs the Dutch team – a piece which annoys the Old Trafford faithful. Player of the month, Scott McTominay scored a stunning goal vs Arsenal in a 1-1 draw in the League on Monday.
Paul Pogba, Luke Shaw, Anthony Martial and Aaron Wan Bissaka – all injury concerns, were not a part of the squad which flew to Alkmaar. Pogba is highly likely to miss the game but Ole suggested he could return to face rivals Liverpool after the international break. Jesse Lingard is also out for the game after he was seen limping off on Thursday night with a hamstring injury.
The Magpies managed to beat Tottenham 1-0, but have since then collected just two points from 4 games. They tanked 5 goals against Leicester City last Sunday and have been desperately in need of attacking returns. Midfielder Isaac Hayden is suspend ended for the game as he serves the first of his 3 game ban for a straight red vs Leicester. The Tyneside outfit lie deep 19th on the league table and need a win to pull out of the drop zone.
The fixture ended 0-2 last season as Marcus Rashford and now sold – Romelu Lukaku scored.
PREDICTED LINE-UPS:
Steve Bruce admitted his Newcastle side is “low on confidence” following the 5-0 thrashing. Florin Lejeune and Matt Ritchie are unavailable for the game with injuries. Allan Saint-Maximin is fit to start again. Jonjo Shelvey and Matthew Longstaff are also in contention to start the game although Dwight Gayle still remains a long term absentee. Christian Atsu is the player to watch out for with his blistering pace.
Miguel Almiron is expected to operate on the right wing and could spell danger with some darting runs on the channel. Steve Bruce might opt for a 5-4-1 to frustrate Manchester United.
Predicted Line-Ups: Dubravka, Willems, Dummett, Schar, Lascelles(C), Manquillo, Allan Saint-Maximin, Ki, Sean Longstaff, Almiron, Joelinton 5-4-1
Paul Pogba is a big doubt and United will might not risk him ahead of the game vs Liverpool after international break. Nemanja Matic could start again in place of the injured Frenchman. Marcus Rashford, goalless in 4, is set to continue in the striker’s role after starting upfront against Alkmaar.
Daniel James, the man who started the season on fire is United’s lone option on the left wing. Luke Shaw could make a return to the starting eleven after training normally since last Friday. Aaron Wan-Bissaka missed the Europa League game due to some illness and would need to be assessed before the game. Axel Tuanzebe might continue in the RB role if Bissaka can’t be passed fit.
Predicted Line-Ups: De Gea, Wan-Bissaka, Maguire, Lindelof, Young(C), McTominay, Matic, James, Mata, Pereira, Rashford 4-2-3-1.
Referee: Mike Dean
Venue: St. James’ Park, Newcastle (52405)
English Premier League, Round 8
Time: 16:30 BST, Sunday
