Manchester United mark their return to action following a devastating coronavirus outbreak on Monday with a trip to Newcastle United in the Premier League.
While the Red Devils have been dealing with a raft of COVID-19 cases, Eddie Howe's hosts are seeking to avoid a fourth straight defeat.
Match preview
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There is certainly not much festive joy to be had around St James' Park at the moment, with Newcastle conceding 11 goals in their three most recent defeats as their survival task becomes harder by the week.
It took all of five minutes for Ruben Dias to open the scoring for Manchester City last time out, and the champions would complete the rout through Joao Cancelo, Raheem Sterling and Riyad Mahrez as the Magpies fell short once again.
After starting the month in promising fashion with that much-needed win over Burnley, the harsh reality check for Newcastle sees them remain 19th in the table ahead of the Boxing Day fixtures – level on points with Norwich City having played a game more.
Even 17th-placed Watford – who are three points ahead of the Magpies – have two games in hand as Omicron rages across the country, but the appointment of Howe has not exactly led to the upturn in fortunes that the new owners would have aspired for.
A tally of 41 goals conceded is unsurprisingly the worst defensive record in the 2021-22 top-flight season, and having been breached 79 times in the calendar year, Newcastle could set a new unwanted record for most Premier League goals conceded in that period.
On the face of it, three defeats from their last eight Premier League games at St James' Park is hardly abysmal, but a refreshed Man United outfit will not be prepared to play nice on Monday.
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One of several English sides to have seen their winter preparations disrupted amid the surge in coronavirus cases, Man United will be taking to the pitch for the first time since December 11 when they make the journey to Tyneside.
A cluster of COVID-19 forced the postponement of clashes with Brentford and Brighton & Hove Albion as the club's training centre was shut, but Ralf Rangnick's crop are back on the practice pitches and ready to pick up where they left off.
The football has been far from dazzling, but a pair of crucial 1-0 wins over Crystal Palace and Norwich City means that the Red Devils occupy sixth spot in the table before Sunday's games kick off – five points behind fourth-placed Arsenal with two games in hand.
It is now six games unbeaten in all competitions for Man United since Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's exit, and having scored in all of their away league games so far this term, Newcastle's depleted defence could be in for another rough ride on home soil.
The Red Devils have also won each of their last four encounters with Newcastle – scoring at least three goals on each occasion – although they are without a clean sheet against the Magpies since January 2019.
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Team News
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Newcastle lynchpin Isaac Hayden picked up his fifth booking of the league season in the Man City defeat and will sit this one out, so Sean Longstaff could come into the engine room with Jonjo Shelvey still a fitness doubt.
Federico Fernandez and Jamal Lewis have been ruled out of the festive period due to thigh issues, while Paul Dummett has returned to training but is still some way off a return.
Howe may be boosted by Javier Manquillo and Emil Krafth returning from non-COVID-related illnesses, but a fully-fit Jacob Murphy may hold his place at right-back.
As for Man United, Rangnick has hinted that he will have a fully-fit squad to pick from this weekend, barring the recovering Paul Pogba.
Raphael Varane, Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Edinson Cavani and Anthony Martial could therefore all come into contention for the trip to St James' Park, and the same can be said for Victor Lindelof despite his scare with breathing difficulties against Norwich.
Varane could slot straight back in for Harry Maguire if he is deemed fit enough, but Diogo Dalot will have no intention of dropping out for Wan-Bissaka just yet.
Newcastle United possible starting lineup:
Dubravka; Murphy, Lascelles, Schar, Ritchie; Almiron, Longstaff, Willock, Joelinton; Wilson, Saint-Maximin
Manchester United possible starting lineup:
De Gea; Dalot, Varane, Maguire, Telles; Fred, McTominay; Sancho, Fernandes; Ronaldo, Rashford
We say: Newcastle United 0-3 Manchester United
Facing multiple members of the established Big Six in successive gameweeks was always going to spell danger for Newcastle, who are working with a depleted and easily breachable defence.
Man United fans will be demanding more attacking impetus from their star-studded frontline, and Monday's game ought to provide the perfect opportunity for Rangnick to oversee a convincing win with plenty of goals en route.
Top tip
Ben Knapton
Data Analysis
Our analysis of all available data, including recent performances and player stats up until an hour before kickoff, suggested the most likely outcome of this match was a Manchester United win with a probability of 59.39%. A draw had a probability of 22.1% and a win for Newcastle United had a probability of 18.56%.
The most likely scoreline for a Manchester United win was 0-1 with a probability of 10.96%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 0-2 (10.38%) and 1-2 (9.92%). The likeliest drawn scoreline was 1-1 (10.46%), while for a Newcastle United win it was 1-0 (5.53%). The actual scoreline of 1-1 was predicted with a 10.5% likelihood.
