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Premier League | Gameweek 8
Oct 6, 2019 at 4.30pm UK
 
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How Manchester United could line up against Newcastle United

Sports Mole looks at how Manchester United could line up for Sunday's Premier League clash with Newcastle United.

Manchester United head to St James' Park for a meeting with Newcastle United in the Premier League this Sunday in desperate need of an away win.

Thursday's insipid 0-0 draw with AZ Alkmaar in the Europa League stretched the club's winless run on the road to 10 games in all competitions.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's men have an excellent chance to break that curse against a Newcastle side which has only managed one win from their opening seven league games so far this term.

Here, Sports Mole looks at how United could line up for the meeting with Steve Bruce's side.


POSSIBLE MNU XI v NEW

Out: Timothy Fosu-Mensah (knee), Eric Bailly (knee), Phil Jones (groin), Paul Pogba (foot), Jesse Lingard (hamstring)
Doubtful: Anthony Martial (thigh), Luke Shaw (thigh), Aaron Wan-Bissaka (illness)

Click here for Man United's latest injury and suspension news ahead of this match.

Wan-Bissaka remains a slight doubt having missed the midweek trip to Holland due to a bout of tonsilitis, but you suspect that Solskjaer will want to include the Englishman after Diogo Dalot's positional sense frustrated him against AZ.

On the other side, the manager does not seem ready to take a chance on Shaw, leaving the Englishman to one side until after the international break, giving Ashley Young another chance in the left-back slot.

Victor Lindelof performed well during the week, and Solskjaer will be thankful that such a key player did not suffer as a result of the artificial pitch in Den Haag. Harry Maguire will return to the starting XI to partner the Swede.

With Pogba still on the sidelines and Fred deeply disappointing against AZ, Solskjaer has little choice other than using Nemanja Matic once again, while Scott McTominay, who earned praise for his performance against Arsenal, comes into the team in an attempt to inject some much-needed urgency into United's movements in the middle third.

While United's midfield looks short of ideas, the attack has assumed a paralysed demeanour in recent times, seemingly unable to string any coherent moves together, and the loss of Lingard - despite the Englishman being painfully out of form - only adds to Solskjaer's woes in that area.

In response, Solskjaer is likely to use Andreas Pereira in an advanced midfield role, screening Matic and McTominay whilst also building attacks from deep. The Brazilian must improve on the ball if he wants to maintain his place in the starting XI further down the line.

Juan Mata, another player who struggled against AZ, plays an important role of cutting inside from wide areas and finding spaces to pass into, with Daniel James staying wider on the other side as the Welshman looks to stretch Newcastle's back four with his raw pace.

Having scored at St James' Park last season, Rashford will head into this game knowing that he has a responsibility to perform better in the number nine role compared to what he has managed in recent weeks. Against a team which is set to employ a low block, the 21-year-old must lead the way with his movement off the ball.

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