Manchester United maintained their perfect record in the league with a narrow victory over Aston Villa on Friday. The Red Devils will look to stretch their unbeaten run even further when they take on Newcastle United in a marquee Premier League showdown this coming Saturday.
Who will emerge victorious in this blockbuster clash? Read on for a complete preview of this much-anticipated showdown. And while you’re at it, you can check out our previews of Arsenal vs. Liverpool and Everton vs. Manchester City.
Manchester United extended their winning streak to two games with a nerve-wracking 1-0 victory over Aston Villa on Friday. Adnan Januzaj scored the winning goal for the Red Devils who moved into a tie for first place in the Premier League standings with six points.
[sc:Soccer240banner ]It’s the first time since August 2013 that United have managed to go atop the Premier League table. That wouldn’t be possible without the heroics of Januzaj, who calmly slotted in a spectacular through-ball from Spanish international Juan Mata in the first half of their game against Aston Villa. It’s Januzaj’s first goal since netting against Newcastle in April 2014. Januzaj’s winner against Villa ended his Premier League goal drought, which lasted 1,169 minutes.
That being said, there’s still plenty of room for improvement for Manchester United heading into their weekend match against Newcastle. The Red Devils need to sort out their misfiring offense that has looked sluggish through their past couple of games. Louis van Gaal’s men have managed just three shots on target in their first two games.
For United to improve on their attack, they need a much better showing from Wayne Rooney. He was supposed to be the main man for the Red Devils up front but the early signs have been a bit worrisome for United. Just like in their opening match against Tottenham, the United and England captain struggled to make an impact as the team’s lead striker in the game against Villa.
It’s crucial for Rooney to rediscover the form that made him one of the best forwards in the world. He will fancy his chances of doing just that as he has fared extremely well in the lead striker position in the past. He scored a career-high 34 goals when he last played that position in the 2011-12 season.
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Betting on Newcastle
Steve McClaren suffered his first Premier League defeat as Newcastle manager as the Magpies lost 2-0 to Swansea on Saturday. It was a disappointing performance by the Magpies who stumbled to their seventh successive Premier League away defeat.
It won’t get any easier for Newcastle this coming Saturday as standing in their way in their next match are the 20-time league champions Manchester United. The Magpies have lost their last three Premier League games against the Red Devils. Manchster United have outscored Newcastle, 8-1, during that three-game stretch.
For Newcastle to record their first win of the season against Manchester United, they need to improve on their ball possession. The Magpies only had 34% of the possession in their last match against Swansea. As a result, they were outshot by the Welsh outfit in attempts (19-4) and in the shots on target department (6-2).
To address Newcastle’s lack of offensive thrust, the Magpies top brass decided to sign Florian Thauvin from Marseille in a £12m move. McClaren knows Alexsandar Mitrovic, the club’s £13m striker, requires accurate crosses to be effective in the box, and he believes Thauvin has the left-wing skills to provide them. The 22-year-old France Under-21 international has been frequently likened to Bayern Munich star Franck Ribery because of his electric pace and impressive power. He scored 13 goals in 67 appearances for Marseille.
Writer’s Prediction
Manchester United extend their winning streak to three games with a comprehensive 3-0 victory.
