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Man Utd scoreless in two
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Newcastle after cup final revenge
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McTominay keen to impress
The Premier League is back this week after the international break, and two sides battling it out for a top-four finish will face off at St James' Park.
When the competition restarted following the World Cup, Newcastle United sat third in the table with Manchester United down in fifth. The teams have since swapped places, with Spurs - who parted way with manager Antonio Conte this week - the side in between them.
The reverse fixture, back in October, ended goalless. Erik ten Hag's Man Utd went on an impressive home run after that clash, scoring in every single home game since until they drew a blank last time out against Southampton.
Out for revenge
These two teams have met once since their last league clash. They faced off in the League Cup final, where goals from Casemiro and Marcus Rashford gave United victory over a Newcastle side made to compete without suspended goalkeeper Nick Pope.
This time it's Casemiro who will be unavailable, with the Brazilian midfielder serving a ban for his red card against Southampton. Pope is not guaranteed to feature for the hosts, but manager Eddie Howe will hope the stopper has recovered from the injury which forced him to withdraw from England duty.
Pope could be valuable if Newcastle are to keep back-to-back clean sheets in league games against these opponents for the first time since 1997. On that occasion, the Magpies recorded a memorable 5-0 home win in the early part of the season before claiming a goalless draw at Old Trafford in May.
Rashford the key
As has often been the case this season, the success of Manchester United's opponents could hinge on their ability to stop Marcus Rashford. Like his international teammate Pope, the England forward sat out the recent Euro 2024 qualifiers through injury but is expected to play some part on Sunday.
Rashford has started eight Premier League games against Newcastle, contributing to seven goals in the process, and he has only registered more goal contributions against two other Premier League opponents. While he only made a late cameo in October's meeting, Rashford posted two goals and three assists as his team did the double over Newcastle in the 2020-21 season.
United could find themselves reliant on the academy talent if they are to avoid a third straight scoreless game. The last time they went as long without netting in the league was more than three years ago, when Liverpool, Burnley and Wolves shut out Ole Gunnar Solskjær's side.
Bucking the trend
While Newcastle have had some joy against Man Utd over the years, their recent record is far from impressive. Before the pair of draws in Eddie Howe's games against United, the Magpies had lost four on the spin under Steve Bruce, though they did at least find the net in each of those defeats.
Record signing Alexander Isak is aiming to score for a third straight game, having delivered a late winner from the penalty spot last time out against Nottingham Forest.
If he can do so, it would allow him to emulate former Man Utd man Zlatan Ibrahimović as one of just three Swedes to achieve the feat - Ibrahimović hit four in three in December 2016, while former Arsenal and Sweden star Freddie Ljungberg scored six in five as the Gunners sealed the league title in 2002.
Newcastle United v Manchester United prediction
The first game back after March Internationals can often be hard to predict, with the break sometimes disrupting any momentum teams had built up in the early part of the year. These are two accomplished sides, though, and both will be aware they can't afford to take their foot off the gas in the push for Champions League football.
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With Casemiro unavailable, Man Utd midfielder Scott McTominay will be hoping to start off the back of his four goals in two games for Scotland, and will have a point to prove to manager Ten Hag if he does. McTominay to score or be carded, and a red card to be awarded to anyone in this tense Sunday afternoon clash, can be backed at 9.91.
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