(Football news) Manchester United will aim to make it four wins in a row in all competitions when they welcome Newcastle United to Old Trafford on Sunday. The Red Devils are currently 5th in the league with 15 points from their opening eight matches while Newcastle United are in 6th place just a point behind although the Magpies have played a game more. After a disappointing start in the Premier League, Erik ten Hag has seen plenty of positives from his side as they made it eight wins in 10 games with a narrow 1-0 victory over Omonia in the Europa League.
Manchester United have a run of difficult fixtures ahead with Newcastle United, Tottenham Hotspur, Chelsea and West Ham United on the horizon before the team's head into the winter break to accommodate the World Cup. The Red Devils have won their last four matches over Newcastle including a 4-1 win at Old Trafford last season and haven’t lost to the Magpies at home since 2013. However, complacency could cost them as Newcastle are rejuvenated this season after bolstering their squad in the summer transfer window and can be considered formidable opponents this time around.
Eddie Howe has won 17, drawn 10 and lost 11 of his 38 matches in charge of Newcastle United and his team have won three, drawn five and lost just once in the league this term. The Magpies defeated Fulham 4-1 and Brentford 5-1 in their last two matches with their only defeat coming against Liverpool in August. A place in Europe seems like a realistic possibility for Newcastle, a dramatic turnaround due to the change in ownership after battling for relegation in the first half of last season.
McTominay, who scored the winner against Omonia will be unavailable due to selection after receiving a yellow card against Everton while the likes of Donny van de Beek, Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Brandon Williams, Axel Tuanzebe and Harry Maguire are injured. Raphael Varane and Luke Shaw could be reinstated in the starting lineup while Christian Eriksen should feature alongside Casemiro and Bruno Fernandes. Ronaldo should retain his place as a forward with Anthony Martial currently suffering from a back issue while Jadon Sancho should be on the bench.
As for Newcastle, Karl Darlow, Alexander Isak, Jonjo Shelvey, Matt Ritchie and Emil Krafth are unavailable for selection and Eddie Howe is expected to field the same starting XI that featured against Brentford last weekend with Allan Saint-Maximin being selected over Jacob Murphy. Callum Wilson should feature at centre-forward, Miguel Almiron playing off the left and in-form Bruno Guimaraes, who scored twice in their last match featuring in the middle of the park. Despite their recent form, Manchester United should narrowly edge out a victory in this fixture.
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