Manchester United vs Newcastle Predictions

• Manchester United have won only one of their last six meetings with Newcastle
• United have won only two of their last 11 league games
• Newcastle have won four of their last six league matches

Newcastle can bolster European qualification hopes

The race for European qualification is intensifying but Manchester United’s top-six hopes have been severely dented by a run of only two wins in their last 11 Premier League games.

The Red Devils offered some resistance in Sunday’s 1-0 defeat at home to title-chasing Arsenal but they had been blown away in a 4-0 rout at Crystal Palace six days earlier.

United’s poor league form means that their main focus will be on their FA Cup final with Manchester City, which is their other avenue into Europe, and they look vulnerable at home to Newcastle, who sit sixth and are three points above Erik ten Hag’s side.

United’s only win in the league since early March came in a 4-2 victory at home to relegated Sheffield United, with them also dropping points in draws with Brentford, Bournemouth and Burnley within their last eight outings.

Depleted home defence set to be punished

Injuries are not making life any easier for Ten Hag, especially in defence where he has had to deploy Casemiro and Jonny Evans at centre-back for their latest two defeats to Arsenal and Palace.

With Harry Maguire, Lisandro Martinez and Victor Lindelof targeting a FA Cup final return,
that looks set to be the case once more unless Willy Kambwala gets the vote of confidence.

And that could spell trouble against a Newcastle side in a rich vein of scoring form.

The Magpies were frustrated in a 1-1 draw with Brighton on Saturday but they had won five of their seven league games prior to that, with their last three victories coming via 4-0, 5-1 and 4-1 scorelines.

With 24-goal forward Alexander Isak leading the line and Anthony Gordon and Callum Wilson in support, Newcastle have the resources to punish a depleted home defence.

United have managed only two clean sheets in their last 19 league games and this is a fixture they have typically struggled in recently.

Magpies can maintain recent dominance

Newcastle have won the last three meetings between the sides to nil, which includes a convincing 3-0 victory at Old Trafford in the EFL Cup earlier in the season.

United may be buoyed by the return of Bruno Fernandes but Newcaslte have plenty of impact players returning too, with Kieran Trippier, Miguel Almiron and Joelinton all back to bolster competition for places.

Eddie Howe’s men must keep winning to fend off Chelsea for sixth and they can triumph at Old Trafford, where Brighton, Palace, Bournemouth and Fulham have all won in the league this season.

But two clean sheets in ten suggests United may be able to get on the scoresheet, which suggests 2-1 could be the approach to take for correct-score bettors.