Manchester United face Newcastle United at St James’ Park tonight (March 4th), looking to remain unbeaten under Michael Carrick. His side have won six and drawn one of his seven games in charge since replacing Ruben Amorim in early January.
A 2-1 comeback win over Crystal Palace last Sunday saw the Reds move up to third in the table. A controversial penalty decision led to Bruno Fernandes equalising from the spot before setting Benjamin Sesko up for the winner.
Eddie Howe is under pressure ahead of the two sides’ meeting tonight amid a dissapointing campaign for the Magpies. They were beaten 3-2 at home by Everton last time out and sit 13th in the Premier League table.
Man United team news
Carrick will again be without Lisandro Martinez, who is dealing with a calf problem. The Argentine was a mainstay in his new coach’s team until the injury arose.
Martinez has since missed wins over Everton and Palace, and Carrick has confirmed he won’t be available for the game against Newcastle. His fellow defenders, Harry Maguire and Luke Shaw, came off in the victory against Oliver Glasner’s Eagles.
Carrick is hopeful both will be involved tonight and confirmed that their issues are due to illness, not injuries. They have been crucial for the Red Devils and might just earn late call-ups for England’s pre-World Cup friendlies at the end of this month.
Patrick Dorgu is still recovering from a hamstring injury suffered in a 3-2 win over Arsenal in January. The Danish winger is making good progress but won’t be back in action for some time.
That’s also the case for Matthijs de Ligt, who has been sidelined with a back problem since December. The Dutch defender has yet to feature under Carrick, and his injury is a real concern.
Carrick was upbeat about Mason Mount, although he suggested that the former Chelsea midfielder won’t be available at St James’ Park. Speculation is growing over the Englishman’s future amid links to Aston Villa.
Expected XI
On Sunday, Carrick opted to start Sesko for the first time since he took over as head coach. He reaped the rewards of that decision when the Slovenian striker headed home a vital winner to move the Reds up to third.
The 22-year-old will expect to continue leading the line, and that will probably mean Amad Diallo starts on the bench again. The Ivorian looked bright when introduced in the second half against Palace, but it’s unlikely that Bryan Mbeumo will be benched.
Maguire and Shaw’s illness problems could mean Carrick turns to Ayden Heaven and Noussair Mazraoui. But we’ve seen time and time again the dedication shown from Maguire, and he just might convince his manager to start him against a physical Newcastle side.
The other dilemma might be Leny Yoro, who was at fault for Maxence Lacroix’s opener in the Palace win. That said, he had impressed against West Ham United and Everton before Sunday’s game.
Manchester United predicted XI: Lammens; Dalot, Heaven, Yoro, Mazraoui; Mainoo, Casemiro, Fernandes; Mbeumo, Sesko; Cunha
Prediction
Can Manchester United make it three wins in a row and give the United Strand optimism that a trip to the barbers is on the horizon? That won’t be the players’ focus against a Newcastle side that are usually up for the fight whenever facing the Reds.
An illness bug hasn’t just struck Carrick’s men but also tonight’s opponents. Howe has confirmed that Nick Woltemade will miss the game while Bruno Guimaraes and Valentino Livramento are injured.
Those are three big absences, especially in the middle of the park, which will see Sandro Tonali, linked with the Reds, and Joelinton try to better Casemiro and Kobbie Mainoo.
Liverpool’s shock 2-1 loss to Wolverhampton Wanderers last night will have given the Red Devils even more confidence in their push for Champions League qualification. A closely fought affair could go the way of the visitors.
Prediction: Newcastle 1-2 Manchester United
