Man Utd are set to take on Newcastle in the Premier League on Monday, 30 December with the hosts looking to avoid their fourth consecutive defeat in all competitions.
Ruben Amorim has failed to bring about an upturn in results since he replaced Erik Ten Hag as the Man Utd manager and his side are in need of a win to avoid sinking further down the league.
Newcastle, meanwhile, come into this one in brilliant form after four wins in a row in all competitions.
How the bookies view it: The visitors start as favourites
For perhaps the first time in Premier League history, Newcastle United head to Old Trafford as the pre-match favourites to beat Manchester United on Monday night. BoyleSports have priced a Newcastle win at 7/5 while a win for Man Utd has been priced at 13/8. The draw, which wouldn't be a great result for either team, has been priced at 5/2.
Recent head-to-head: Advantage Newcastle
Ever since Newcastle lost to Man Utd in the Carabao Cup final in February 2023, the Magpies have won three of their four meetings with the Red Devils. Last season, they beat them 3-0 in the Carabao Cup at Old Trafford before beating them 1-0 at St James' Park and narrowly losing 3-2 at Old Trafford.
Players to watch: More needed from Man Utd's forwards
From a defensive point of view, Man Utd haven't been too bad in terms of getting to grips with Ruben Amorim's 3-4-3 system, but going the other way they have struggled to play with any kind of speed or intensity.
Regardless of who starts out of Rasmus Hojlund or Joshua Zirkzee at the spearhead of the attack, more is needed. The former has scored just two goals in the Premier League all season while the latter hasn't fared much better with three. These numbers simply aren't good enough for Manchester United forwards.
The pair will likely point to a lack of service and to a degree, they would have a point. Big decisions are needed in respect to which players occupy the two number ten positions behind the forward in this system and with Bruno Fernandes suspended on Monday, Amorim has a chance to experiment.
Could Marcus Rashford return to the fold or will Alejandro Garnacho be given a chance from the start? Alternatively, Amorim could throw in a wild card such as playing Kobbie Mainoo higher up the pitch.
Predicted line-ups
Bruno Fernandes and Manuel Ugarte will both sit this one out for Man Utd due to suspension while Mason Mount, Luke Shaw and Victor Lindelof are all injured. Newcastle will be without Callum Wilson, Jamaal Lascelles, Emil Krafth, Nick Pope and Sven Botman but Tino Livramento is expected to return.
Man Utd: Onana – De Ligt, Maguire, Martinez – Dalot, Casemiro, Mainoo, Mazrouai – Garnacho, Amad – Zirkzee
Newcastle: Dubravka – Livramento, Schar, Burn, Hall – Tonali, Guimaraes, Joelinton – Murphy, Isak, Gordon
Anything else catch the eye?
Man Utd have been susceptible to conceding goals from corners in recent weeks but they have also been very good at winning them themselves. They have taken a total of 25 corners across their last three matches and they have been priced at 17/10 by BoyleSports to take over 6.5 corners on Monday.
This English Premier League match between Man Utd and Newcastle will be played on Dec 30, 2024 and kick off at 20:00. Check below for our tipsters best Man Utd vs Newcastle prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
