Manchester United and Newcastle face off in a Boxing Day clash in which both teams will be wanting to win after having their recent results going against them. United drew Aston Villa 1-1 in a clash in which United were unable to assert their dominance, as Aston Villa thwarted their play throughout the match. After an excellent November, Newcastle have had a horrible December except for the Chelsea game as they have conceded 4 goals each to Arsenal in the League and Tottenham in the Capital One Cup, before losing to Sunderland in the Tyne-Wear derby in the dying minutes of the game.
The draw that Manchester United were subjected to has not helped their title hopes, and they need to win to offset the impact of Manchester City and Chelsea’s wins last week, as the three of them are their main contenders for the Premier League title. Alan Pardew must be feeling the pressure again, as losing three out of three important matches could be detrimental to Newcastle’s aspirations. Pardew decided to focus on the Cup this year, and the move backfired. He has lost the Tyne-Wear derby four times in a row, and a positive result against Manchester United will help him hold on to his place in the driver’s seat at Newcastle.
Manchester United vs. Newcastle: Team news:
For Manchester United, Luke Shaw (ankle), Ander Herrera (muscle injury) and Marouane Fellaini (illness) are not expected to return for the clash, while Marcos Rojo (thigh) is a doubt. Chris Smalling is making a good recovery from his groin injury, though, and Louis van Gaal may choose to start Angel Di Maria after the winger made his return against Aston Villa. Daley Blind (knee) remains out.
Newcastle will be without midfielder Cheick Tiote through suspension, while goalkeepers Tim Krul (ankle) and Rob Elliot (thigh) are still sidelined. The visitors hope to have Steven Taylor available for the trip to Old Trafford after the defender suffered a nasty facial injury in the derby with Sunderland but Mehdi Abeid (toe), Siem de Jong (thigh), Rolando Aarons (hamstring), Gabriel Obertan (thigh) and Ryan Taylor (knee) remain on the sidelines. Jonas Gutierrez made a welcome return to football after featuring for the U21 side in his first game since recovering from cancer, but he will have to wait before he gets to play for the senior side. (Courtesy of Skysports)
Manchester United vs. Newcastle: Match facts:
The teams met two years ago, on Boxing Day. Manchester United edged Newcastle out 4-3.
- The Red Devils have won 17 of the last 18 games and been victorious in the last 10 in a row on Boxing Day at Old Trafford. They have lost only one of 20 Barclays Premier League matches they have played on Boxing Day (W17 D2 L1)
- After scoring nine goals in his first 10 Premier League games for Man Utd against Newcastle, Wayne Rooney has failed to net in the last five against the Magpies.
- Robin van Persie has scored six goals and assisted three more in his last eight Premier League starts against Newcastle.
- The Magpies are the only team in the Premier League yet to score in the opening 30 minutes of a game this season.
Stats from skysports.com (Eurosport).
Manchester United vs. Newcastle: Lineups:
Manchester United (3-4-1-2): David de Gea – Phil Jones, Jonny Evans, Chris Smalling/Tyler Blackett – Antonio Valencia, Michael Carrick, Juan Mata, Ashley Young/Angel di Maria – Wayne Rooney – Radamel Falcao, Robin van Persie.
Newcastle (4-2-3-1): Jak Alnwick – Daryl Janmaat, Steven Taylor/Michael Williamson, Fabricio Coloccini, Paul Dummett – Cheick Tiote, Jack Colback – Yoan Gouffran, Moussa Sissoko, Sammy Amoebi/Remy Cabella – Ayoze Perez.
Manchester United vs. Newcastle: Prediction:
A 3-1 win to the home side, Manchester United.