The Red Devils lock horns with Newcastle in a must-win encounter to keep their Premier League title hopes alive.
Manchester United hope to reboot their Premier League title challenge by returning to winning ways against Newcastle United to Old Trafford.
A whopping 21-point gap, and 15 places, lies between the two clubs in the league standings. United have the edge in second on 46 points from 24 games, with Newcastle down in a lowly 17th on 25 points in comparison.
Both sides are in dire need of all three points on Sunday in their battles for title glory and survival. Neither can afford to give the other an inch in Manchester. But given Newcastle’s poor record in this fixture and recent form, a home victory is the expected outcome.
⚫️ 𝙈𝘼𝙏𝘾𝙃𝘿𝘼𝙔 ⚪️
HWTL! 👊 pic.twitter.com/ff5VyjtVJO
— Newcastle United FC (@NUFC) February 21, 2021
Red Devils still in the title hunt
A 4-0 Europa League victory over Real Sociedad midweek was the response United needed after drawing 1-1 at West Brom last weekend. Now they must build on the win in Italy to keep their faint title hopes alive.
Overturning a 10-point gap to runaway Premier League leaders Manchester City is no easy task. Given the Citizens’ winning run, along with United dropping crucial points recently, it’s quickly becoming mission impossible. However, the Red Devils have refused to give up hope on a first league title since 2012/13.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, though, faces an anxious wait for updates on Edinson Cavani and Donnie van de Beek. The duo missed the Europa League win with muscle injuries.
Key Team Stats
- Won only 1 of their last 5 league games (D3 L1).
- Conceded the first goal 11 times but recovered to win 7 of them.
- Lost all 4 of their league games at Old Trafford.
- Bruno Fernandes has made 33 goal contributions in only 36 appearances across all competitions (21 goals, 12 assists).
- Luke Shaw has supplied 4 assists in his last 3 league games.
- Marcus Rashford has managed 3 goals and 3 assists in 6 league games against Newcastle.
Trouble expected for struggling Newcastle
Steve Bruce’s men have lost nine of their last 11 games (W2) in all competitions. They’ve slipped down to 17th-place in the Premier League, with only a three-point gap between themselves and the relegation zone.
Things have improved slightly for Newcastle recently, having won twice in the last four league games (L2). Losing top-scorer Callum Wilson to injury, however, is a huge blow. In fact, they’ve failed to score in their three league games without the striker and have only won once in their previous 35 league outings at Old Trafford (D9 L25).
Key Team Stats
- Lost 9 of their last 11 games in all competitions (W2).
- Failed to score in any of their 3 league games without Callum Wilson.
- Lost 9 of their 11 away league games and failed to score in 8 of them.
- Steve Bruce has only recorded 1 point in his 11 league trips to Old Trafford.
- Only won once in their last 35 visits to Old Trafford (D9 L25).
Team News
| Manchester United | Newcastle | |
|---|---|---|
| Out: | Paul Pogba, Phil Jones. | Federico Fernández, Javier Manquillo, Fabian Schär, Callum Wilson. |
| Doubts: | Edinson Cavani, Scott McTominay, Donny van de Beek. | Paul Dummett. |
Predicted Line-ups
Manchester United (4-2-3-1): De Gea, Wan-Bissaka, Bailly, Maguire, Shaw; Fred, Matic; Greenwood, Fernandes, Rashford; Martial.
Newcastle (4-3-1-2): Darlow; Krafth, Lascelles, Clark, Lewis; Willock, Hayden, Shelvey; Almiron; Gayle, Saint-Maximin.
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