“I have faced William Saliba many times but that particular Man United’s player is the most difficult opponent I’ve ever faced in my whole career”: Newcastle United’s striker Alexander Isak names ONE Man United’s player as the most difficult opponent he has ever faced
After being in Europa League action on Thursday, Manchester United will turn their focus back to domestic matters for Sunday’s Premier League clash with Newcastle United at St James’ Park.
The Red Devils are languishing in 13th place in the Premier League standings, while Newcastle are in fifth position in the close battle to secure Champions League qualification.
Match preview
Newcastle will head into Sunday’s contest in a positive mood after putting together a four-game winning run in all competitions, beginning with a narrow away league win over West Ham United, before they beat Liverpool 2-1 at Wembley to lift the EFL Cup and end their 70-year wait for a major domestic trophy.
After returning to league action with a 2-1 home win against Brentford, the Magpies went on to make light work of Monday’s away clash against Championship-bound Leicester City to collect their 11th win in 15 Premier League matches.
Jacob Murphy netted an early brace before Harvey Barnes scored against his former club to seal all three points inside 35 minutes, with the 3-0 victory moving Eddie Howe’s side into fifth position and one point clear of sixth-placed Man City.
Since the full-time whistle at the King Power Stadium, the Premier League have been awarded one of the two extra Champions League spots following Arsenal’s win over Real Madrid in midweek, meaning Newcastle are currently in a position which would secure them Champions League qualification for the second time in three seasons.
While they have a game in hand over the teams around them, Newcastle know they can ill-afford to rest on their laurels in their final eight league matches, and they certainly have high hopes of taking maximum points from Sunday’s fixture after winning four of their last five competitive meetings with Man United.
In fact, they have the chance to complete a league double over Man United for the first time since 1931 after claiming a 2-0 victory in December’s reverse fixture at Old Trafford.
While Newcastle’s focus is on domestic matters, Man United are prioritising their Europa League campaign because it offers their only route to securing European football for the 2025-26 campaign.
Ruben Amorim’s charges made the trip to France for Thursday’s quarter-final first leg against Lyon, which appeared to be going Man United’s way despite Andre Onana making a mistake for Thiago Almada’s opener.
Leny Yoro scored his first Man United goal before the break to level the scoreline, before Joshua Zirkzee found the net in the 88th minute to turn the game in the visitors’ favour, but just as the Red Devils appeared to be on course for victory, another Onana error allowed Rayan Cherki to net a stoppage-time equaliser to leave the tie in the balance ahead of next week’s return leg.
Not only did Man United miss out on a first-leg lead, but the 2-2 draw made it three games without a win since they cruised to a comfortable 3-0 away victory over Leicester City before the international break.
In truth, Man United are only playing for position in the league, with the Red Devils down in 13th place after winning 10, drawing eight and losing 13 of their 31 top-flight games this season, leaving them on course to endure their worst-ever Premier League finish.
They will also finish short of their previous lowest Premier League points tally (58) unless they win all of their remaining seven matches, which seems highly unlikely as they are still waiting to record back-to-back league victories for the first time this season.
Man United head into Sunday’s game with hopes of claiming their first win at St James’ Park since October 2020, while they are looking to avoid consecutive away league wins against the Magpies for the first time in 55 years.
Team News
Newcastle defender Lewis Hall is sidelined with a foot injury, while the defensive duo of Sven Botman and Jamaal Lascelles are in the treatment room with knee issues.
Midfielder Joe Willock remains unavailable for selection after he missed Monday’s win over Leicester due to a concussion.
Newcastle assistant manager Jason Tindall has confirmed that a late decision will be made on Anthony Gordon’s availability, with the winger looking to recover from a groin injury in time for the home fixture.
Alexander Isak should be fit to start Sunday’s contest despite carrying a groin issue that led to him being taken off in the last two matches.
As for Man United, they remain without the services of Lisandro Martinez (knee), Jonny Evans (muscle), Ayden Heaven (ankle), Amad Diallo (ankle) and Toby Collyer (leg).
Defender Matthijs de Ligt is set to miss a third consecutive game with an injury he sustained in Man United’s 1-0 defeat to Nottingham Forest earlier this month.
Amorim will have one eye on Thursday’s second leg with Lyon, and with that in mind, he may decide to make a few changes for Sunday’s Premier League clash, with Victor Lindelof, Mason Mount and Zirkzee among those pushing for a starting spot.
The Man United boss may also decide to take Onana out of the spotlight and offer his second-choice goalkeeper, Altay Bayindir, the chance to make his Premier League debut.
Newcastle United possible starting lineup:
Pope; Trippier, Schar, Burn, Livramento; Guimaraes, Tonali, Joelinton; Murphy, Barnes, Isak
Manchester United possible starting lineup:
Bayindir; Mazraoui, Lindelof, Yoro; Dalot, Fernandes, Ugarte, Dorgu; Garnacho, Mount; Zirkzee
