Newcastle United vs Manchester United Preview

Newcastle will continue their quest for a top-four finish when they welcome fellow top-four hopefuls Manchester United to Saint James’ Park this Sunday.

Thanks to their oil-rich owners, the Magpies are looking to crack the top four this season after receiving heavy investment in their squad over the past three transfer windows.

They are on course to achieve their aim as they sit in fifth place, two points behind fourth-placed Tottenham with two games in hand. After a poor run of form in February and early March, Eddi Howe’s men found their groove again. They were enjoying a decent run of results just before the international break, having recorded two 2-1 wins over Wolves and Nottingham Forest.

They will now look to make it three wins in a row for the first time this season when they welcome a Manchester United team that pipped them to the Carbao Cup title in February.

The familiar surroundings of St James’ Park could be the catalyst for revenge against the Red Devils as the Magpies have lost just one PL game here all season (W7, D5, L1).

Man United signed off for the international break in style by cruising into the FA Cup semi-final thanks to a 3-1 win over an ill-disciplined Fulham side. However, with the season now in its final stretch, their focus, for now, must shift back to the race for the top four.

United had failed to score in back-to-back PL games as well as in the reverse H2H (0-0), and so they will have to be at their clinical best to ensure that they keep their top-four destiny intact, given that they are just three points ahead of Newcastle having played the same number of games.

Rediscovering their scoring form will be crucial to any United success, as only relegation-threatened Leicester, Nottingham and Bournemouth have conceded more away league goals ahead of this round than United’s 27.

However, another PL blank seems unthinkable for the visitors who haven’t failed to score in three straight PL games since 2020 or consecutive PL H2Hs since 1997.

Other fixtures taking place this week in the Premier League Fixtures:

Premier League Table