With Tottenham Hotspurs 2-0 losing to Arsenal earlier in the day, Manchester United needs to record a victory to stay in front of Chelsea who could temporarily overtake the Red Devils. Manchester United their second Premier League game two weeks ago when Jose Mourinho's men traveled to London to play Chelsea in a game that the Blues won with the solitary goal coming from Alvaro Morata. A win over Newcastle United will guarantee Manchester United the second position after Round twelve of Premier League activities.
Newcastle United travel to Old Trafford just a fortnight after losing 1-0 to AFC Bournemouth at St James Park.
The defeat came a week after suffering a loss of a similar margin at the hands of Burnley. A win over the Red Devils could propel the Magpies to position eight should the three teams in front of Rafa Benitez men fail to claim maximum points in their matches.
Talking points
- Manchester United is unbeaten in the last twenty-two Premier League matches played at Old Trafford. In fact, the Red Devils have kept six clean sheets in the previous six Premier League matches that they've hosted.
- In the last twenty-nine meetings between the two sides, Manchester United has lost only two contests, remaining undefeated at the hands of the Magpies in the remaining twenty-seven matches. However, the last two Premier League encounters between the two clubs have ended in stalemates.
- Newcastle United has been weak on the road with the Magpies losing a massive fifteen Premier League matches in the last sixteen Premier League matches they've played away from their home.
- Newcastle United's last five Premier League matches on the road have witnessed low scoring with five out of six matches realizing a total of fewer than three goals on each occasion.
Team news
Manchester United heads into the contest with their injury cases dissipating as only Phil Jones is nursing the injury while on duty with his national team during the international break.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic could make a comeback since returning to Old Trafford while Paul Pogba and Marcos Rojos could return to Jose Mourinho's team after missing several games. Michael Carrick is another Manchester United player who's doubtful to feature in the proceedings against the Magpies.
Jamaal Lascelles, Christian Atsu, and Mikel Merino are apparent absentees in the trip to Manchester as the trio is nursing various forms of injuries, while Paul Dummett is doubtful for the game. Other than the four cases, Rafa Benitez has the rest of his team from which he can make selections.
Full-time prediction: Manchester United 3-1 Newcastle United
