Newcastle United fans will be hoping for a late Christmas gift away at Manchester United on Boxing Day.
In a break from tradition, Manchester United versus Newcastle United will be the only Premier League game played on Boxing Day.
Indeed, Eddie Howe takes his side to Old Trafford the day after Christmas, looking to claim a statement victory.
What is your best memory of Newcastle playing at Old Trafford? 🏟️
The 3-0 win in the cup was so special! The night Hall and Tino truly announced themselves to the Toon Army!
Clearly, the Red Devils are not what they were, but any win at the Theatre of Dreams would be something to shout about, particularly given Newcastle’s struggles away from home.
Picking up three points in Manchester would be a fine way of continuing the response from the defeat at Sunderland earlier this month and pundit Chris Sutton expects them to do exactly that.
Chris Sutton claims Newcastle will beat Man Utd because they have a better squad
Sutton believes Newcastle will beat Ruben Amorim’s side because they have a better squad than them.
That’s a fairly big statement, given the Manchester giants signed all of Matheus Cunha, Bryan Mbeumo and Benjamin Sesko ahead of Newcastle during the summer transfer window.
Cunha was more of a tentative link and the interest in Mbeumo wasn’t particularly advanced after initial talks, but Sesko is the one who actively snubbed Newcastle to join Amorim’s side.
So then, the fact that Sutton believes Newcastle still have a better squad anyway is quite the call.
Woltemade and Wissa should start TOGETHER vs Man United 👀 Change my mind!
Writing in his BBC Sport column, Sutton said: “Newcastle United will be absolutely sick that they let a two-goal lead slip against Chelsea last week, while their away record has a lot of room for improvement – they have won only one of their eight away league games so far.
“Manchester United are three points and four places above them in the table, but they are missing a few players at the Africa Cup of Nations and, in my mind, Newcastle United have the better squad anyway.
“Because of that, I am going to back Eddie Howe’s side here. There won’t be many goals, though, and they may only need to score one to win it.
“Sutton’s prediction: 0-1″
What is Newcastle United’s record on Boxing Day?
Newcastle have a terrible record when playing on Boxing Day, although they did taste victory last time out when they beat Aston Villa.
In total, Newcastle have lost 47 times on Boxing Day, which is an unwanted record in English league football.
No one has lost more games on Boxing Day at Newcastle, and they have won only two of their last 11 games on the 26th of December.
That, coupled with their dreadful away form in general this season, is a concern.
Sutton could yet be proven right but the omens don’t look good.
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