Newcastle and Man Utd have gone in opposite directions since October

This weekend, Newcastle United will take on Manchester United at Old Trafford as they look to bounce back from their loss vs. Chelsea on Monday. It will be a major upset if the Magpies can pick up a result on the road this Sunday, a completely different story from when these clubs met in October.

Let’s flashback to 10/16/20 which was the day before Newcastle and Man Utd were set to square off at St. James’ Park. Newcastle were 2-1-1 through four matches and sat ninth on the Premier League table. They were coming off a 3-1 win over Burnley, led by a Callum Wilson brace.

On the other side of the equation, things were not going well for the Red Devils. They occupied 16th on the table with only one win in their three matches. Before the international break and their matchup with Newcastle, Man Utd were obliterated by Jose Mourinho’s Spurs, 6-1.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was on the hot seat as rumors of Mauricio Pochettino replacing the former United player circled the club.

In the match, Newcastle got on the board early with an own goal, but Steve Bruce’s negative tactics helped Manchester United blow past the Magpies in a 4-1 blowout.

Fast forward to the present time…

With the help of a lengthy winless run through most of December and January, Newcastle United are in 17th with Fulham biting at their heels on the edge of the relegation zone.

Manchester United have ascended up to second on the table, only trailing rivals Manchester City. Since that October matchup, they have only lost two matches compared to 12 for Newcastle during the same stretch.

Ole’s job is no longer a hot topic, but Bruce Out is one of the most common phrases these days for Newcastle supporters. Now, the clubs will match up again and the Toon Army will hope a positive result could reverse the club’s fortunes this time around.