Overview
A Northeaster will return to St. James' Park, but Michael Carrick certainly won't go there to give gifts to Newcastle United.
Carrick is making an incredibly impressive comeback as Manchester United head coach. Since replacing Ruben Amorim, he has won 6 out of 7 matches and drawn 1. In total, through two periods of coaching, Carrick has won 23 points after 9 Premier League matches (7 wins, 2 draws) - a record equal to the best start in the history of the league.
That resurgence continued when Man United came back to defeat Crystal Palace 2-1 at Old Trafford. Although Bruno Fernandes' equalizer came from a controversial penalty, Benjamin Sesko was the one who decided the match with his impressive scoring form.
Since the beginning of the year, Man United has not lost a match in the Premier League when being led (2 wins, 3 draws) - the longest streak since January 2021. They also regained 9 points from being led this season, the most in the league.
Meanwhile, Newcastle entered the match with a heavy mood. The 2-3 defeat to Everton at home caused them to lose 3 consecutive matches at St. James' Park - the first time since Steve Bruce in 2021. They have conceded 23 home goals this season, only less than Wolves and West Ham United.
Although still advancing deeply in the Champions League and FA Cup, Newcastle is currently only ranked 12th in the Premier League, 7 points behind seventh-placed Brentford after 29 rounds. The pressure to win a European cup spot is therefore gradually becoming heavier.
Their only strength is their home record in the evening, which is quite good. They have only lost 2 of the last 20 matches after 7 pm (local time). However, overall form shows a big problem in the attack.
Against Everton, Jacob Ramsey and Jacob Murphy scored but both were lucky. Sandro Tonali almost equalized in injury time but was denied by Jordan Pickford. Nick Woltemade almost "disappeared" with only 14 touches in nearly an hour of play.
Anthony Gordon, despite shining in the European arena, is ineffective in the Premier League. He has only scored 3 goals from 38 shots (8% rate), compared to 11 goals from 38 shots in other arenas (29%).
Conversely, Fernandes is the real leader of Man United. If Newcastle does not quickly improve their ability to finish off opportunities, they are at risk of continuing to sink deeper against a Man United that is increasingly sharp and brave under Carrick.
Personnel situation
Newcastle are having an impressive home record against Man United when winning all three recent Premier League receptions - a number equal to their total number of wins in 18 previous encounters combined.
The last time the "Magpies" had a longer home win streak against the "Red Devils" was more than a century ago, from 1915 to 1931, when they won 10 consecutive matches.
In the opposite direction, Man United is aiming to complete a double against Newcastle in a Premier League season for the first time since 2020-2021. They once won 1-0 at Old Trafford on Boxing Day thanks to Patrick Dorgu's goal.
Under Eddie Howe, Newcastle has won 4 out of 11 encounters with Man United in the Premier League, reaching a rate of 36%. The most recent Newcastle coach to have more wins against Man United in the league was Joe Harvey, with 6 wins in the period 1969-1973.
Score prediction: Newcastle 2-3 Man United
The match between Newcastle and Man United takes place at 3:15 am on March 5 (Vietnam time).
