Manchester United will take on Newcastle United on the 26th of December at Old Trafford.
Manchester United will be looking to bounce back from their 2-1 loss against Aston Villa when they host Newcastle United on Boxing Day. And, with just this clash set to take place on December 26, it is set to be the quietest Boxing Day in EPL history.
Following an entertaining 4-4 draw against Bournemouth, Man United came up against the might of Aston Villa at Villa Park last weekend, only to be blown away by Morgan Rogers’ heroics. The loss hindered the Red Devils from progressing in the table, and now they sit at 7th place with 26 points from 17 games.
Their opponents, Newcastle, will be coming into the fixture a bit desperate as well. Having taken a 2-0 lead against top 4 contenders Chelsea, they let the Blues come back from behind to salvage a point in the second half at St. James’ Park, thereby also preventing them from breaking into the top half of the table.
That said, here is how Manchester United could lineup against Newcastle.
Predicted Manchester United lineup vs. Newcastle
Goalkeeper: Senne Lammens
The young Belgian has been a regular starter ever since the early days of his arrival. Lammens has been consistent in his performances, remaining quite error-free. His big saves towards the end of the game against Bournemouth at Old Trafford, prevented the Cherries from earning a huge 5-4 victory. Lammens will be up for the challenge when Newcastle visit the Red Devils on the 26th of December.
Defence: Diogo Dalot, Leny Yoro, Ayden Heaven, Luke Shaw, Patrick Dorgu
The backline has been pretty consistent in recent weeks. Suffering from back pain, their star center-back Matthijs de Ligt, still remains a doubt to start, and his usual partner Harry Maguire has been nursing a thigh injury. Yoro and Heaven have done a decent job in their absence, despite looking shaky at times. They will also have the vastly experienced Luke Shaw as the third center-back. Meanwhile, Dalot and Dorgu will look to thwart the Newcastle attack from the wings.
Midfield: Casemiro, Manuel Ugarte
Very rarely do Manchester United find themselves without Bruno Fernandes in their lineup. The skipper is set to miss a few games after being hamstrung in the loss against Aston Villa. It is worth noting that United have had a poor record without Bruno in their starting XI. While his injury could have seen Kobbie Mainoo start, the Englishman also picked up an injury (calf) last week in training. This will leave Man United with the returning Casemiro (from suspension) and Manuel Ugarte, who started last week against Villa.
Attack: Mason Mount, Matheus Cunha, Benjamin Sesko
With Bryan Mbeumo and Amad playing in the AFCON, Man United are limited in attack as well. In Bruno’s absence, Cunha might be required to play a different role, possibly. And Sesko will look to bury the ghosts of his performance against Villa.