Newcastle United vs Manchester United on matchday 14 of the 2023/24 Premier League season is a classic waiting to happen.
The mythological St James’ Park will be chock-full of screaming fans looking for a miracle from Eddie Howe and his band of merry men, one of the best teams in the league – in the actual sense of the word. That cohesiveness helped the Magpies deny the Red Devils five points last season.
A draw at Old Trafford was followed by a loss at St James’ Park, with the game played in one of the best atmospheres of last season. Although it did not affect Man United’s eventual top-four finish, it was a loss that the Old Trafford outfit never saw coming.
Before that game on 2 April 2023, Newcastle United had gone seven games without a win from their last defeat of Manchester United. Both sides have started the season similarly, making their first clash at St. James’ Park one that will worry Erik ten Hag and excite Eddie Howe.
Another point is that Newcastle’s run of games leading to this clash has been more challenging on paper. Their last five saw them face off against Chelsea, Bournemouth, Arsenal, Wolverhampton Wanderers and Crystal Palace. Man United have faced Everton, Fulham, Luton Town, Manchester City and Sheffield United in that time. The Magpies have also had to twice deal with Borussia Dortmund and Paris Saint-Germain in the UEFA Champions League.
These run of fixtures will surely see them come in more battle-hardened than Erik ten Hag’s team.
Fans should prepare for incredible tactical maneuvers and football action, which will cause noises that will record significantly on the decibel meter.
Read on for more match ticket information, team news, and our match outcome prediction.
Match tickets
Newcastle United vs Manchester United tickets are almost sold out. The St. James' Park outfit has had the tickets on sale for a while now to cater to their fans. However, a second batch will be made available, but fans have to sign up for a waiting list to get information on the release of the tickets.
Manchester United game tickets will go on sale in a few days.
Ticket reselling platforms such as Seatsnet.com are there to make things less stressful for fans, especially neutrals who want to avoid signing up on waiting lists. Tickets are already available for purchase on these platforms and are selling fast.
The game will be played on 2 December 2023 and will kick off at 9 PM UTC. Sky Sports streaming (via the Sky Sports app), TNT Sports (via the Discovery+ app), or CBS Sports Golazo (via the Paramount+ app) are some of the platforms that will air the match.
A subscription to these apps and channels is needed to access the game.
Team news
Eddie Howe will welcome Alexander Isak and Sven Botman for the Newcastle United vs Manchester United clash. The Netherlands international has been out longer than the Sweden international, but both players' absences have been a big miss for the Magpies in the last few weeks. Emil Krafth [ACL recovery], Harvey Barnes [toe problem], Lewis Miley [glandular fever], Elliot Anderson [back stress fracture], and Jacob Murphy [dislocated shoulder] are the other players who are out of commission for the game against the Red Devils.
Manchester United fans will be excited because Luke Shaw is fit and ready to go after picking up an injury in September. Having struggled to fill the left-back role since the Englishman and his deputy Sergio Reguilon got injured, they can now calmly feel assured that their left side is safe. Aaron Wan-Bissaka is also fit for the Newcastle trip, meaning Diogo Dalot's time could be over. Both players have equal opportunities to start, however. Fans will continue to hope for the speedy recovery of Tyrell Malacia, Lisandro Martinez, and Amad Diallo.
Lineups
With Sandro Tonali banned from football for ten months following his betting scandal, home-grown midfielder Sean Longstaff will be in the middle of the park alongside Brazilians Joelinton and Bruno Guimarães. Alexander Isak will return to the starting lineup ahead of Callum Wilson, while Botman will start alongside Fabian Schar in defense.
Newcastle United: Pope; Trippier, Botman, Schar, Burn; Joelinton, Guimarães, Longstaff; Gordon, Isak, Almiron.
Luke Shaw will return to the starting XI alongside Harry Maguire and Raphael Varane. The right-back role will still be occupied by Diogo Dalot, who, while deputizing for Aaron Wan-Bissaka during his injury, produced some excellent attacking returns.
The newly-minted DR Congo international (according to reports) is an excellent right-back, but he only offers a little going forward for Manchester United. Mason Mount will play behind the striker Rasmus Højlund, while Marcus Rashford plays as an inside forward from the left wing.
Manchester United: Onana; Dalot, Maguire, Varane, Shaw; Casemiro, Amrabat; Fernandes, Mount, Rashford; Højlund.
Prediction
For fans of the Old Trafford outfit, Newcastle United vs Manchester United is no longer the cakewalk it used to be. St. James' Park has consistently produced one of the most incredible atmospheres for neutrals and the most hostile for opposition teams. However, the Red Devils have been able to overcome it most of the time to take three points back to Manchester. Things have changed on the pitch but remain the same in the stands.
Eddie Howe will give Erik Ten Hag the match of his season so far with high-intensity English football that will keep fans on the edges of their seats for 90 minutes and then some. There will be a lot of running, which will make Manchester United fans worry about the fitness of their players, who tend to fall victim to injuries quite often.
This match will be decided mainly in the midfield, with Bruno Fernandes trying to pull strings against Joelinton and co. At the same time, the destroyer pair of Amrabat and Casemiro will work hard to stop Newcastle's fast breaks. Scott McTominay will be introduced at some point in the game to add more running and tough tackling, but more is needed to take all three points home.
Newcastle United 3-1 Manchester United
