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Manchester United travel to St James Park on Sunday looking for a rare win in the North-Eastern city.
No doubt the team will have one eye on the second leg of the Europa League quarter final against Olympique Lyonnais. Nonetheless, there are still points to play for in the Premier League as Ruben Amorim will want his team to finish as high as possible in the table.
United have faced the Magpies 180 times in history, winning 92 times. They have drawn 41 matches and lost on 47 occasions.
Here are three storylines to sink your teeth into before the match.
United’s poor recent record against Newcastle
Once upon a time, the Red Devils regularly took points off the Geordies but the football landscape has changed since then.
The Red Devils have lost four out of the last five matches against Eddie Howe’s side.
United have an even worse record at St James, not having won there since a 4-1 victory in 2020.
They drew 1-1 in 2021 and lost in their last two visits in April and December 2023, without scoring a goal.
The BBC report that “Manchester United could lose on three consecutive league visits to St James’ Park for the first time since 1970.”
The Magpies aiming to do the league double over United
According to The BBC, “the Magpies are aiming to complete their first league double over Manchester United since 1931.”
United were beaten twice by Newcastle last season, once in the league and once in the Carabao Cup, but they managed to deny Newcastle doing the double with a 3-2 win at Old Trafford last May.
Nonetheless, Amorim’s side have recently put in better performances against top sides such as Manchester City and Arsenal, so will hope the manager can come up with the tactics to get a rare win on Tyneside.
United must win to avoid breaking record
“United need to win all seven of their remaining matches to beat their previous lowest tally in a Premier League season of 58 [points] in 2021-22,” the BBC note.
The only likely avenue to European football next season appears to be winning the Europa League.
This is in the balance after Andre Onana’s disastrous showing in the 2-2 draw in France.
Although United are sitting in 13th place, far away from the European places, every improved position in the League is worth around £3.1 million in prize money, so a good run could end up netting Amorim millions of pounds more for his transfer kitty.
Victory tomorrow would also give them momentum and give them confidence before Thursday’s crucial match up in Europe.
Featured image Michael Regan via Getty Images
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