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Third placed Manchester United will be hoping to be the fourth team in a row to defeat ninth placed Newcastle United when they host the Magpies at Old Trafford. Join us on The Roar from 0200 AEDT for live scores.
Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal believes his side still have a shot of finishing in top position this season, and that means that the Red Devils can’t afford to drop points, especially when chasing Chelsea and Manchester City sides which have shown impressive form as of late.
In their last fixture van Gaal’s men were held to a one-all draw against a ten-man Aston Villa side at Villa Park, with Falcao cancelling out Benteke’s early opener in the fifty-third minute.
Manchester United will need a dominate performance against Newcastle if they wish to present themselves as true title contenders, and Louis van Gaal has made his goal clear when it comes to being a dominate side at home.
“We want to build a fortress at Old Trafford”
The Red Devils will be without Luke Shaw and Marcus Rojo in the defense, both men missing the game due to injury. Marouane Fellaini will be absent from the midfield, and so will Daley Blind who has a knee injury. van Gaal’s side could be boosted with the return of Chris Smalling, who has not yet been ruled out of the Boxing Day clash.
The last time Newcastle United won a competitive game was they downed league leaders Chelsea by two goals to one three weeks ago, however since that win they have found themselves on a downwards spiral losing their last three matches.
Newcastle have only managed to find the net once in their last three competitive matches, and have conceded nine times.
The Magpies will also have to venture to Old Trafford missing both first choice keepers, Tim Krul and Rob Elliot, and will also be without Chieck Tiote who picked up his fifth booking last week in Newcastle’s loss to Sunderland.
Newcastle manager Alan Pardew will be looking for his men to bounce back in a big way, and a away win against Manchester United would be just the response he would be looking for.
The last time these two sides played each other was back in April of this year, when the Red Devils cruised past Newcastle 4-0 in a dominant performance at St. James’ Park.
Manchester United will be trying to prove a point, and if they their aggression and determination could be too much for Newcastle United to handle. The ball should find the net a few times in this clash.
My prediction: Manchester United 3 -1 Newcastle United
Will Manchester United close the distance between themselves and Chelsea and Manchester City, or can Newcastle United bounce back from three straight losses. Join us on The Roar from 0200 AEDT to find out.
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