English Premier
2024-12-30 - Manchester United vs Newcastle United
A Sports Betting Pick by Auls
Football: English Premier League
Monday 30th December 2024 - Kick Off 8pm
This game is live on TV
Manchester United
He stated after the 4-0 win over Everton that a 'storm' was coming at Old Trafford and Ruben Amorim has to have privately expected some of the poor results that his Manchester United team have suffered of late. That does not mean the manager is happy, but he is learning a lot about this underachieving squad and the fans are being asked to be patient at the same time as Amorim insists they deserve to voice their discontent.
All of this has added up to Manchester United slipping into 14th place in the Premier League table and the defeat to Wolves means they are only 8 points clear of the relegation zone. There isn't much to like about the Manchester United results in the Premier League and they have a 4-1-4 record at Old Trafford ahead of the final fixture here in 2024.
Manchester United scored two late goals to win the derby, but all momentum has been lost thanks to 3 defeats in a row in all competitions. They have failed to score in their last couple of Premier League games, including a thumping 0-3 defeat at home to Bournemouth. That result means Manchester United have lost their last 2 Premier League fixtures at home with both ending with three goals conceded.
Bruno Fernandes let himself, his team-mates and the manager down by being sent off early at Molineux and he is suspended. Manuel Ugarte is also serving a ban for an accumulation of cards, while Marcus Rashford remains an outcast.
Newcastle United
Picking up a run of victories can quickly turn a position around in the Premier League standings and Eddie Howe's Newcastle United have enjoyed a positive festive period. They have two big away games to be played either side of the New Year festivities, but the team are playing with a lot of confidence right now and the club will be targeting a return to the Champions League.
The Magpies have moved up into 5th place in the Premier League table after results over the last couple of weeks and they have also earned a spot in the League Cup Semi Final to build momentum. Form at St James' Park has not been a concern, but Newcastle United are only 3-3-3 on their travels this season and will be looking to improve that mark in the second half of the campaign.
Newcastle United were thumped 4-2 at Brentford earlier this month, but they have won 4 in a row in all competitions since then, including their last 3 Premier League fixtures. The crushing win at Portman Road last time out snapped a poor away run during which time Newcastle United had lost half of their previous 6 on their travels.
Valentino Livramento was out on Boxing Day with an illness and is considered a doubt.
Head to Head
Both teams beat the other at home in the Premier League last season.
They also met at Old Trafford in the League Cup, but that was a fixture won 0-3 by Newcastle United.
Manchester United have won 6 of their last 7 at Old Trafford in the Premier League against this opponent.
Prediction
The pain now is expected to reap rewards in the coming years under Ruben Amorim, although the manager is under no illusions as to the importance of picking up positive results.
He admitted his Manchester United squad need to find positive results to believe in the manager and his system, but the 'storm' that was predicted by Amorim has most certainly arrived over Old Trafford.
3 losses in a row and slipping down to 14th in the Premier League table has really frustrated the fans of the club and Manchester United need more than their leaders like Bruno Fernandes putting the team in a terrible spot as he did at Molineux.
Changes will be made for this fixture, but Amorim will just need to remind the players that they owe more to the fans than they have provided of late.
This is a big test for Manchester United who host a confident Newcastle United team that have moved up into 5th place in the Premier League table thanks to 3 straight Premier League wins. They have also secured passage into the League Cup Semi Final and Eddie Howe's team know what the manager wants from them.
In Alexander Isak they have a striker playing really well right now and Newcastle United are going to pose a considerable threat.
Defensively there are still some opportunities that opponent's can exploit and Manchester United will look to do a bit more in the final third with a full complement of players.
Games between the clubs have tended to be high-scoring when Manchester United have been hosting and an early goal in this one could see things really open up. At the moment Manchester United look capable of allowing the 'over' to hit through their own poor performances at the back and Newcastle United should play with some freedom to help promote an exciting fixture to round out the Premier League in 2024.
The Statistics :
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The Pick :
Manchester United 2-1 Newcastle United
