Paul Pogba And Zlatan Ibrahimovic Could Be Back For Manchester United As They Take On Newcastle United

Paul Pogba And Zlatan Ibrahimovic Could Be Back For Manchester United As They Take On Newcastle United
14:35, 17 Nov 2017

Preview: Manchester United v Newcastle United; Kick-off: November 18, 17:30; Venue: Old Trafford; Referee: Craig Pawson

Manchester United will be looking to bounce back from the 1-0 defeat at Chelsea before the international break when they welcome Newcastle United to Old Trafford in Saturday’s late kickoff in the Premier League.

United sit second in the table entering this weekend’s fixtures, but could drop to fourth by the time that they take to the field, with Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea both looking to move above the Red Devils on Saturday afternoon.

League leaders Manchester City will also fancy their chances of winning away to Leicester City, meaning that United could be 11 points off their Manchester rivals entering the clash with Newcastle, which would place massive pressure on Jose Mourinho’s side.

The 20-time English champions started the season like a house on fire as they thumped West Ham United and Swansea City, before recording a 2-0 win over Leicester to move onto nine points. They did draw at Stoke City on September 9, but then won their next three in the league to enter the October international break with 19 points.

A goalless draw at Liverpool on October 14 was also a positive result, although United have now lost two of their last three in the league. A 2-1 defeat at Huddersfield Town was followed by a 1-0 win over Tottenham, but they suffered a 1-0 loss at Chelsea in their last match before the international break.

There was not an awful lot between the two teams, and as it transpired, Alvaro Morata’s second-half header was enough to make it another miserable Stamford Bridge return for Mourinho. Questions are now being asked of the Portuguese’s long-term future at Old Trafford, and anything other than a win this weekend would lead to more speculation.

For all of United’s problems in recent weeks, the Red Devils have been excellent at home this season. Indeed, they have won all five of their Premier League matches – scoring 15 times and conceding zero. They have actually only conceded once in eight home games in all competitions this season, and are unbeaten at Old Trafford in the Premier League since September 2016.

United still need a point to make sure of their spot in the last-16 stage of the Champions League, and they will fancy their chances of picking up at least a draw away to Basel next week. Mourinho’s side will then host Brighton & Hove Albion in the Premier League, before travelling to Watford and Arsenal in their next two.

There will once again be eyes on Romelu Lukaku this weekend as the striker looks to end a run of seven club games without a goal. The 24-year-old netted three times for Belgium during the international break, however, becoming his country’s record goalscorer on 31.

As for Newcastle, Rafael Benitez’s side have collected 14 points to sit in 11th position in the table. They have won four, drawn two and lost five of their 11 Premier League matches – scoring 10 and conceding 10. It has been a decent start to the campaign for the Championship winners, but they have lost their last two against Burnley and Bournemouth without finding the back of the net.

The Magpies have also only won one of their five Premier League away matches this season, although their three defeats have all been 1-0. The statistics show that Benitez has not quite managed to get the right balance between attack and defence in the early stages of the campaign.

United have actually won 22 and lost just one of their last 35 home league games against Newcastle, with the Magpies not enjoying success at home of the 20-time English champions since December 2013. That said, their last Premier League meeting at Old Trafford finished goalless in August 2015.

Team news

Mourinho revealed at his pre-match press conference that Marcos Rojo, Paul Pogba and Zlatan Ibrahimovic would all be in the squad.

Rojo made his comeback for United Under-23s earlier this week, while Pogba and Ibrahimovic have stepped up their recoveries on the training ground over the last few weeks.

Pogba is expected to go straight into the XI, with Ibrahimovic, who has been backed to feature in the number 10 position, on the bench. Phil Jones misses out with a problem that he aggravated on international duty, however, meaning that Chris Smalling should start alongside Eric Bailly at centre-back.

As for Newcastle, Paul Dummett and Mikel Merino are still on the sidelines, while captain Jamaal Lascelles misses out with an ankle problem.

Christian Atsu is also unavailable due to a thigh injury, but goalkeeper Rob Elliot and defender Ciaran Clark will both feature.

Ayoze Perez and Jacob Murphy are also both pushing for starts after featuring off the bench in the 1-0 defeat to Bournemouth last time out.

Expected starting lineups

United: De Gea; Valencia, Smalling, Bailly, Young; Pogba, Matic; Martial, Mkhitaryan, Mata; Lukaku

Newcastle: Elliot; Yedlin, Clark, Lejeune, Manquillo; Murphy, Shelvey, Hayden, Ritchie; Perez; Joselu

Did you know?

United are the only team in the five major European leagues yet to concede a top-flight goal on home soil this season.

Prediction

United have not exactly been flying in recent weeks, but the Red Devils have been very strong at Old Trafford, and the return of key duo Pogba and Ibrahimovic will be a major boost.

Newcastle have been impressive defensively despite their poor away form, however, meaning that the home side will be made to work for all three points as they look to stay in touching distance of rivals City.

Score prediction: Manchester United 2-0 Newcastle United

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