Newcastle United vs Man Utd preview, H2H, team news, line-ups and prediction

Manchester United will aim for their first away victory against Newcastle United since 2020 when they travel to St James Park on Sunday to face an in-form, top-four-chasing Newcastle side.

Newcastle will enter this game in high spirits after securing a four-game winning streak across all competitions. This run began with a hard-fought away victory over West Ham United, followed by a 2-1 triumph over Liverpool at Wembley, which saw them lift the EFL Cup and end a 70-year wait for a major domestic trophy.

They resumed league action with a 2-1 win at home against Brentford before cruising to a comfortable 3-0 victory away at Leicester City, who are bound for relegation. The result, which saw Jacob Murphy score a quickfire brace and Harvey Barnes net against his former team, saw Eddie Howe’s side move up to fifth place, one point ahead of sixth-placed Man City.

Following Arsenal’s victory over Real Madrid in midweek, one of the two additional Champions League spots has now been confirmed for the Premier League, meaning Newcastle are in a position to qualify for Europe’s elite competition for the second time in three seasons.

Though they have a game in hand, the Tyneside club are well aware they cannot afford to slip up in their remaining eight league fixtures. They’ll aim for three points on Sunday, especially given their recent record of winning four of their last five encounters against United.

Their 2-0 win at Old Trafford in December has set the stage for what would be their first league double over the Red Devils since the 1930-31 season. While not as significant as their long-awaited trophy success, this is another chance for the Magpies to break a longstanding record.

United head into Sunday’s match with a poor recent record away at Newcastle, having lost their last two visits to St. James’ Park. Their previous three consecutive league defeats at Newcastle came between 1969 and 1970. The Red Devils have also struggled against the top sides this season, with no wins in their eight league encounters against teams starting match week 32 in the top five.

Their only victory over a top-seven side this season came in a dramatic 2-1 derby win at Manchester City, where they scored both goals in the final minutes.

Ruben Amorim’s side are coming into this match after a 2-2 draw at Lyon in the UEFA Europa League on Thursday. A last-minute equaliser from Rayan Cherki denied them a much-needed victory. With no significant league objectives left to play for, the manager will likely be cautious with any players who may be carrying injuries ahead of this match.

The 2-2 draw at Lyon also extended their winless run to three games, following their 3-0 victory over Leicester before the international break. However, in terms of league performance, the Red Devils are only playing to finish strong. They are currently sitting in 13th place with 10 wins, eight draws, and 13 losses in their 31 matches. If they continue this form, they are on track for their worst-ever Premier League finish.

To avoid breaking their record for the lowest points tally in the Premier League (58 points), United must win all their remaining seven matches. However, this seems unlikely, given they have not yet managed back-to-back league victories this season.

Heading into Sunday’s clash, United are aiming for their first win at St James’ Park since October 2020, with the added pressure of avoiding back-to-back away league defeats to Newcastle for the first time in 55 years.

Newcastle United vs Man Utd match details

• Date: Sunday, 13th April 2025
• Location: Newcastle upon Tyne, England
• Venue: St James’ Park
• Kick-off time: 04:30 PM GMT, 03:30 PM UTC, 05:30 PM CEST, 11:30 AM ET
• Referee: Chris Kavanagh
• Assistant referees: Lee Betts, Dan Cook
• Fourth official: Sam Barrott
• VAR: Peter Bankes
• Assistant VAR: Tim Wood
• Tickets: Newcastle and Manchester United tickets are available through the clubs or via trusted online resellers.

Match stats and head-to-head

• In their last five meetings with the Red Devils, Newcastle have claimed victory in four, suffering only one defeat. Interestingly, this matches the number of wins the Magpies had in their previous 41 encounters, which included nine draws and 28 losses.

• St James’ Park has been a relatively favourable ground for Newcastle. They have lost just one of their last five encounters against United, a 4-1 defeat in December 2020, and won three of the others.

• A notable feature of Newcastle’s victories is their strong defence. In their previous eight wins against the Red Devils, they managed to keep a clean sheet each time. The last time they won while conceding a goal was over two decades ago, in a 4-3 victory in September 2001.

• Jacob Murphy has been one of the standout performers for Newcastle, providing Alexander Isak with seven assists in the Premier League this season. Only two players have assisted a teammate more times in a single season since 2009-10, including Harry Kane for Son Heung-min in 2020-21 (nine assists) and Kevin De Bruyne for Erling Haaland in 2022-23 (eight assists).

• The Magpies can feel optimistic about their chances of keeping a clean sheet in this fixture. United have fired blanks in 12 matches this season, the third-most in the league, behind only Leicester City (14) and Everton (13). The last time United had more goalless games in a season was back in 1989-90, with 16 such instances.

• If Newcastle win on Sunday, they will become the fourth team this season to achieve a Premier League double over United. This would be the highest number of teams to do so in a single top-flight season since the 1957-58 campaign.

• United’s captain, Bruno Fernandes, leads the Premier League with 75 chances created this season. This marks the fifth season in which he has reached this milestone, with Kevin De Bruyne being the only player to have surpassed this number in more seasons (seven since 2003-04).

Team news

Newcastle will miss Lewis Hall for Sunday’s match due to a foot injury. The central defensive partnership of Sven Botman and Jamaal Lascelles is also unavailable, as both are dealing with knee injuries.

Joe Willock remains out after missing Monday’s win over Leicester City due to a concussion.

Assistant manager Jason Tindall has confirmed that a late call will be made regarding Anthony Gordon’s availability. The winger is working to recover from a groin injury in time for the match.

On a positive note, Alexander Isak is expected to be fit to start despite dealing with a groin issue that saw him substituted in the last two matches.

On the other hand, United will be without several key players for their upcoming match, with Lisandro Martinez (knee), Jonny Evans (muscle), Ayden Heaven (ankle), Amad Diallo (ankle), and Toby Collyer (leg) all sidelined.

Matthijs de Ligt is also set to miss his third consecutive match due to an injury sustained during the 1-0 defeat to Nottingham Forest earlier this month.

With one eye on Thursday’s second leg against Lyon in the UEFA Europa League, Ruben Amorim may opt to rotate his squad for Sunday’s Premier League clash. Players such as Victor Lindelof, Mason Mount, and Joshua Zirkzee could be in contention for a starting spot.

Amorim could also rest Andre Onana after his recent struggles and offer second-choice goalkeeper Altay Bayindir the chance to make his Premier League debut.

Predicted starting lineup

Newcastle predicted starting lineup:

Pope; Trippier, Schar, Burn, Livramento; Guimaraes, Tonali, Joelinton; Murphy, Barnes, Isak.

Man Utd predicted starting lineup:

Bayindir; Mazraoui, Lindelof, Yoro; Dalot, Fernandes, Ugarte, Dorgu; Garnacho, Mount; Zirkzee.

Prediction

A victory for Newcastle would significantly enhance their chances of qualifying for the UEFA Champions League. They are in a strong position in fifth place with a game in hand, especially following the confirmation that England’s extra Champions League spot will be enough for them to secure qualification.

Meanwhile, United have shown glimpses of a revival this month but face a tough challenge on Sunday. The Red Devils will be aiming for their first win at St James’ Park since October 2020, and this game promises to be a tough end-to-end affair.

We’re predicting a 2-0 win for Newcastle.