Newcastle United vs. Manchester United: Preview and predictions

Newcastle United will host Manchester United tomorrow in what is being labeled as a must-win game for both clubs.

Newcastle United and Manchester United are set to play at St. James’ Park tomorrow and it is a big game for both clubs, especially for their respective managers. Steve Bruce is feeling the pressure as a result of sitting in 19th place after seven games and his counterpart, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, is walking on thin ice seeing that the Red Devils’ poor run of form from the end of last season has carried over to this campaign. Manchester United are currently 10th with nine points from seven games.

The Red Devils are certainly not the team of the past, but they still enter this game as favorites to win on the road. The Magpies are used to competing as underdogs, but injuries to Paul Pogba, Anthony Martial and Luke Shaw for Manchester United should help Newcastle United keep this one close.

The biggest problem for the Magpies in their last two games has been motivation. A few individuals are playing with sufficient effort and urgency, but collectively the team isn’t on the same page. As a result, Bruce has hinted that he will scrap his preferred 3-5-2 formation and will turn to a more balanced 3-4-2-1 setup.

This formation will be a much better fit for Newcastle United and Joelinton is expected to benefit from this change the most as it enables Allan Saint-Maximin and Miguel Almiron to feed him with passes higher up the pitch. We will see how well this new formation will be implemented by the team, but both sets of fans will be curious to see if their teams can show some life and snap out of their current form.

Predictions in the Media

Despite the Magpies’ recent 5-0 defeat to Leicester City last weekend, pundits in the media are confident that Steve Bruce’s side can take something from tomorrow’s game. That being said, let’s take a look at their score predictions:

Mark Lawrenson (BBC): Newcastle United 1-1 Manchester United

Charlie Nicholas (Sky Sports): Newcastle United 2-1 Manchester United

Newcastle Toons Predictions

Our editorial staff have mixed feelings about tomorrow’s clash. It’s hard to be optimistic after the team’s last two performances, but it’s too early in the season to give up, right? So, without further delay, here are our predictions for tomorrow:

Carson Merk: Newcastle United 0-2 Manchester United

Durim Halimi: Newcastle United 1-1 Manchester United

• Hot Take: if the score I predicted is correct, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer will be sacked.

Trent Redman: Newcastle United 0 -1 Manchester United