Pravir Singh
Manchester United’s performance against Sheffield United in the FA Cup showed there has been absolutely no
improvement. Another lacklustre performance saw United just about scrape through thanks to a stoppage time penalty. It’s just the same problems game after game for Manchester United and it’s becoming incredibly painful to watch them. This was the 10th consecutive game where the score line has been 0-0 at Old Trafford at half-time.
However, their last outing in a League was a decent one. A 2-1 victory against Swansea saw them move into 5th place ahead of Crystal Palace. Anthony Martial and Ashley Young were in top form for the Red Devils causing havoc down the wings. Even Wayne Rooney put in a much better shift scoring a stunning back heel flick to win the game for United. The Red Devils will look to build on that as they face a struggling Newcastle at St.James’ Park. It’s a good chance for United to decrease the deficit with the teams above as City, Spurs and Arsenal all have tough fixtures taking on Everton, Leicester and Liverpool respectively.
Team News:
Bastian Schweinsteiger’s absence is a big blow for United especially with Van Gaal stating Schneiderlin is in the red zone. This means that LVG will probably start Fellaini as a defensive midfielder which makes no sense whatsoever. Fellaini provides no defensive cover as we saw against Norwich and his only use is causing havoc in the box due to his physical presence. Phil Jones missed the FA Cup tie due to injury and will be assessed before the game. Memphis Depay will be hoping for a place in the starting XI after an impressive cameo against Sheffield United. Jesse Lingard’s return from injury is also good news especially with Mata struggling for form.
Opposition:
Newcastle themselves have been in poor form losing their last four games 1-0. They currently find themselves in the relegation zone, 2 points behind 17th placed Swansea. Despite this, United should not underestimate their opponents as anyone can beat anyone on their day like Liverpool found out when they visited St.James’ Park. Georginio Wijnaldum has been one of Newcastle’s best players this season. Signed from PSV Eindhoven in the summer, he’s their top scorer with 7 goals in 22 appearances.
Last Meeting:
The last outing between the two ended in a 0-0 draw at Old Trafford. United dominated the game and even had a goal wrongly disallowed. Van Gaal stated it was one of the best performances during his period at United.
Predicted Line-up:
David De Gea. Ashley Young. Chris Smalling. Daley Blind. Matteo Darmian. Michael Carrick. Marouane Fellaini. Juan Mata. Ander Herrera. Anthony Martial. Wayne Rooney.
Stats:
- Manchester United have lost just two of their previous 26 league clashes with the Magpies (W18, D6).
- Newcastle have scored just one goal in their last four Premier League games (D1, L3).
- They have won just two of their 10 league matches at home this season (D4, L4).
- Manchester United have only won one of their last seven league matches (D3, L3).
- They have lost their last two Premier League away games (at Bournemouth and Stoke) – they have not lost three successive top-flight away matches since January 1996.
Stats via BBC
Match prediction:
Newcastle United 0-2 Manchester United
