[Tommyjw]

Newcastle United vs Manchester United

Sports Direct Arena. 04/01/12 8pm Kick off

BBC sport link

Match facts

Spoiler:

Show

Head-to-head

Manchester United's last win over the Magpies was a 3-0 victory at Old Trafford at the start of last season.
Newcastle have not beaten the Red Devils since recording a 4-3 victory in September 2001.

Newcastle

The Magpies have won just one of their last eight league matches.
Newcastle are without a home win since they beat Everton 2-1 on 5 November, a three-match winless run.
If chosen, Danny Simpson will play for Newcastle on his 25th birthday.

Man Utd

United may have lost at home to Blackburn but they remain the only side in the division without an away league defeat this campaign, taking 23 points from a possible 27.
Sir Alex Ferguson's men have scored two goals or more in each of their last five games.
United are four points better off than after 19 games last season when they led the table with 41 points.
If picked, Michael Carrick will make his 250th appearance in Manchester United colours.

So.. discuss and good luck to both teams

[IanDangerously]

Manchester United XI

Lindegaard

Rafael
Evans
Ferdinand
Evra

Nani
Giggs
Carrick
Valencia

Rooney
Berbatov

United 8/11 on to win the match, Newcastle priced at 4/1. Newcastle's current form is dire and when they came to Old Trafford in November they were extremely lucky to get anything out of the game. Benefitted from a wrongly award penalty and then camped out and stuck ten men behind the ball, did everything they could to run the clock down and the ref never accounted for their antics. We've played harder away games than this at QPR and Fulham recently and won very comfortably so I'm not worried. Newcastle are like Hull from 2008/09, punched well above their weight for the first 3 months of the season and are now starting to subside back to a level which is a more natural fit for their squad.

[Mastermind`]

I'm not sure we should be underestimating Newcastle. I certainly don't think they're anywhere like the Hull City side from 08/09 - Tiote, Cabaye, Ben Arfa are all classy players who have won league titles in some of Europe's most respected leagues. Demba Ba is a quality striker and had a pretty good season at West Ham last season too. I don't think their squad depth is as good as the top 4-ish sides but it's comfortably a top half squad and their starting XI, when all fit, could give any Top 4 side a good game. They're a very good team at home, last season only Man Utd scored more goals at home than Newcastle - and they lost Carroll in January. QPR and Fulham certainly weren't harder games, either on paper or if we go by the league table.

[Da_hopeful_1]

I predict a tough game for us tonight, too. Rio Ferdinand vs Demba Ba will be a key battle. Hopefully Rooney has his head right aswell. Hernandez to come off the bench as an impact sub, if we require it. Our away record this season has been exemplary in terms of goals conceded, which is in huge contrast to our home form. Let's hope we can keep this up. Hopefully a clean sheet, but i won't count on it, given our injuries and unstable back line. Think we'll scrape this 2-1. A valuable 3 points. It was nice to see the yoof on the bench in the last game but that was understandable given the sheer no. of first team players missing. It should revert back to a normal 11 and bench tonight, with Rio, Rooney and Giggs back in the frame. Smalling and Evans both travelled too apparently. I imagine Sir Alex will have one eye on City in the FA Cup too. Maybe take one of Nani/Valencia off if we're winning and give Young a run-out. The goalkeeper that starts tonight, probably won't be in the FA Cup game at the weekend.

[AndersonsBentFoot]

The return of a CB, Rooney and Carrick into midfield should hopefully allow United to get the win

[IanDangerously]

(Original post by Mastermind`)
I'm not sure we should be underestimating Newcastle. I certainly don't think they're anywhere like the Hull City side from 08/09 - Tiote, Cabaye, Ben Arfa are all classy players who have won league titles in some of Europe's most respected leagues. Demba Ba is a quality striker and had a pretty good season at West Ham last season too. I don't think their squad depth is as good as the top 4-ish sides but it's comfortably a top half squad and their starting XI, when all fit, could give any Top 4 side a good game. They're a very good team at home, last season only Man Utd scored more goals at home than Newcastle - and they lost Carroll in January. QPR and Fulham certainly weren't harder games, either on paper or if we go by the league table.

I'd be shocked if they're in the top half come the end of the season. They've peaked very early and right now it's looking like they're declining back into a spot where we'd have expected to see them at the beginning of the season. The way they played at Old Trafford was so negative after their equaliser it bordered on unsporting. A stronger referee would've accounted for all the time they wasted and added it back on rather than just the standard 3 minutes.

They might look like a decent side against teams in the lower half but I think if there's any way they're going to make life difficult for a top 4 side it'll be by parking the bus and then trying to ensure the ball is not in play for as much of the football match as possible. Maybe they'll be more committed to going forwards at home but the last two times we've played them in the league they've ground out draws by being painfully stifling. Unfortunately sometimes we struggle to break down negative teams but I think we'll do enough with Rooney back to take them apart tonight.

Remember we hadn't beaten Fulham away in three years when we played there in December and we all mistakenly talked it up as a hard game. Expecting a very similar outcome this evening.

[Mastermind`]

(Original post by IanDangerously)
I'd be shocked if they're in the top half come the end of the season. They've peaked very early and right now it's looking like they're declining back into a spot where we'd have expected to see them at the beginning of the season. The way they played at Old Trafford was so negative after their equaliser it bordered on unsporting. A stronger referee would've accounted for all the time they wasted and added it back on rather than just the standard 3 minutes.

They might look like a decent side against teams in the lower half but I think if there's any way they're going to make life difficult for a top 4 side it'll be by parking the bus and then trying to ensure the ball is not in play for as much of the football match as possible. Maybe they'll be more committed to going forwards at home but the last two times we've played them in the league they've ground out draws by being painfully stifling. Unfortunately sometimes we struggle to break down negative teams but I think we'll do enough with Rooney back to take them apart tonight.

Remember we hadn't beaten Fulham away in three years when we played there in December and we all mistakenly talked it up as a hard game. Expecting a very similar outcome this evening.

Of course, Newcastle aren't a top 4 side or a side that should be challenging for the top 4, they're top 6 at a push imo. They finished 12th last season, despite all the troubles and were one point away from finishing 10th. I don't think it's been a case of them 'peaking too early', though, they simply had their best XI out week-in-week-out (their defence played together for something like 10+ consecutive games and Cabaye + Ba quickly gelled in) so they were playing somewhere near their potential. As soon as Taylor got injured and they had a few other injuries their form started to suffer.

As for the style of play, minus the top 6-ish teams the rest of the teams who visit the 'big' clubs tend to play defensive football, otherwise they'd be raped. Take Everton, for example, who finished 7th last season, they rarely go to the likes of Man City and Man Utd to attack, it took a very late winner for us to beat Everton at OT. If Newcastle came to OT playing gung-ho football with Simpson and R.Taylor as football we'd rape them, most likely, just look at how we bombarded them with a so-called parked bus.

I'm not saying we're not capable of trouncing them, we may very well do. But in players like Ba and Cabaye they have genuine quality and spured on by the huge home crowd it could be a banana-sin.

[Colonel.]

Battle of the United's

Hopefully, Ronaldo can get his first hattrick.

[Chriswuk]

(Original post by IanDangerously)
I'd be shocked if they're in the top half come the end of the season. They've peaked very early and right now it's looking like they're declining back into a spot where we'd have expected to see them at the beginning of the season. The way they played at Old Trafford was so negative after their equaliser it bordered on unsporting. A stronger referee would've accounted for all the time they wasted and added it back on rather than just the standard 3 minutes.

They might look like a decent side against teams in the lower half but I think if there's any way they're going to make life difficult for a top 4 side it'll be by parking the bus and then trying to ensure the ball is not in play for as much of the football match as possible. Maybe they'll be more committed to going forwards at home but the last two times we've played them in the league they've ground out draws by being painfully stifling. Unfortunately sometimes we struggle to break down negative teams but I think we'll do enough with Rooney back to take them apart tonight.

Remember we hadn't beaten Fulham away in three years when we played there in December and we all mistakenly talked it up as a hard game. Expecting a very similar outcome this evening.

Basing your entire analysis on one game, good job son. Nothing wrong with 'Parking the Bus' away to Man U.

[Karma Charger]

Can't see Newcastle getting anything out of the game really. Left back will be a problem, as will our right wing (Obertan is playing )

[harrybithell196]

I want a 2-1 win. Think we could get it if we pushed really hard and were a bit more stable at the back. However I could cope with getting a 1-1 draw. That seems very achievable. Remember the Blackburn game last week.

[xbocklie]

(Original post by harrybithell196)
I want a 2-1 win. Think we could get it if we pushed really hard and were a bit more stable at the back. However I could cope with getting a 1-1 draw. That seems very achievable. Remember the Blackburn game last week.

just stop..

newcastle will lose tonight

[Chriswuk]

newcastle starting line up:

Krul, Simpson, Coloccini, Williamson, Santon, R Taylor, Cabaye, Tiote, Jonas, Shola Ameobi, Ba

Don't know subs yet but I guess that means Obertan is still injured. Raylor will start right mid.

[harrybithell196]

(Original post by xbocklie)
just stop..

newcastle will lose tonight

How are you so sure? I guess you are yet another stupid Manchester United fan?

[harrybithell196]

Yesss! No Obertan tonight! Our starting line up is Krul; Simpson, Williamson, Coloccini (c), Santon; R.Taylor, Cabaye, Tiote, Gutierrez; Ba, Shola Ameobi and on the bench are Harper, Perch, Vuckic, Obertan, Ben Arfa, Sammy Ameobi, Best.

[Chriswuk]

Unofrtunately I think a night of hoof ball is coming up for us with Shola starting :/

[xbocklie]

(Original post by harrybithell196)
How are you so sure? I guess you are yet another stupid Manchester United fan?

because i'm a neutral, so i can predict the match more accurately

i don't despise newcastle, but they suck. and as a newcastle fan, you have to learn to accept that - just like i've learnt to accept that arsenal are garbage (until wilshere, sagna, vermaelen and santos are back)

[white_haired_wizard]

It's really called 'Sport Direct Arena'?

Well, I never knew that. I knew that's the owner's company name but not what the stadium is called.

It's St James Park, surely!

Anyway, I want some early goals from United tonight and a comfortable match. Kill the game off in the first half and coast it in the second. Please.

[Karma Charger]

Krul; Simpson, Williamson, Coloccini, Santon; R.Taylor, Cabaye, Tiote, Gutierrez; Ba, Shola Ameobi.
Lindegaard, Valencia, Jones, Ferdinand, Evra, Nani, Carrick, Giggs, Park, Rooney, Berbatov

[Chriswuk]

Man U: Lindegaard, Valencia, Evra, Carrick, Jones, Giggs, Rooney, Nani, Welbeck, Hernandez, Berbatov

Is it me or is there 4 forwards on that team?