Last updated & checked: 10/08/2021
Newcastle United, currently without a home Premier League win to their name this season, welcome Manchester United to St James’ Park on Sunday. The Red Devils are without an away win in the league this season, so TV viewers will not know quite what to expect from this game. Newcastle gaffer Steve Bruce will be managing the 400th Premier League match of his career on Sunday, but he has never tasted victory as manager over the club he served so loyally as a player.
The Red Devils have not won in eight away Premier League matches, their longest run in the top flight without an away win since 1989. Newcastle will hope to avoid losing their first four home league matches in a season for the fifth time in their history.
Newcastle United vs Manchester United Prediction: Magpies 1-1 Red Devils
Our prediction for this game is that it will end in a low scoring draw, with 1-1 the likeliest outcome in our view. Neither of these teams is in scintillating form right now, and Newcastle have not yet managed to win a home game. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s Red Devils are also in some of the worst away league form for 30 years, something which does not promise success on Sunday. United are without a win in four games in all competitions, and Newcastle without a win in five in all competitions. A 1-1 draw is therefore our prediction for this game.
Our recommended tip: Draw, both score
Our featured tip for this game comes from Paddy Power, who are offering odds of 7/2 on the game being a draw with both teams scoring. This matches our prediction for the outcome of the game, which we think will end 1-1, while still giving you some flexibility when it comes to the actual final score. Odds of 7/2 also offer reasonable value. Neither of these two teams is in any kind of good form at the moment, and we suspect that both managers might be happy with a point.
Previous matches
These two teams have met on 48 previous occasions in the Premier League, with Newcastle having won just six of those meetings. Out of those six wins for the Toon, five have come at home. Manchester United have won 28 times against Newcastle in the Premier League, with 13 of those victories coming at St James’ Park.
Last season, this fixture produced plenty of goals. At Old Trafford in October last season, the home side emerged as 3-2 victors. In the reverse fixture, at St James’ Park in January, it was the Red Devils who came out on top, winning 2-0.
Top 3 Premier League Bookies
Players to watch: Christian Atsu & Daniel James
Ghanaian midfielder Christian Atsu leads the assist charts for the Magpies this season, having provided two assists for his team-mates in his five Premier League appearances in 2019/20. He has not scored any goals yet, though, which is perhaps not surprising given that he has made only three shots on goal this season, with only one of those attempts being on target. He has created one big chance, and has crossed the ball 12 times with an accuracy rate of 50%.
United’s Welsh international attacking midfielder Daniel James is the club’s top scorer in the Premier League this season, with the 21-year-old having netted three league goals in seven appearances. All of his goals have been scored with his right foot. United have had problems with creativity in attack this season, and James will need to start stepping up if United want to be successful over the course of the 2019/20 campaign.
