United vs Newcastle Big Match Preview

Introduction

Manchester United go in search of a vital three points on Tuesday night as they return to league action against Newcastle United at St James' Park. Arsenal's late lapse on Sunday against Liverpool means the Reds are six points clear with the Gunners facing North London rivals Spurs on Wednesday.  Numerous times this season Arsenal have proved fallible when the pressure is on and many believe that victory tonight will see them mentally wilt once more.

United will look to bounce back from their defeat to City at Wembley and will be boosted by the return of Wayne Rooney who was sorely missed at the weekend. Newcastle will be without leading scorer Kevin Nolan and have doubts over Steve Harper and Shola Ameobi.

The Opposition

Since taking over from Chris Hughton, Alan Pardew has done remarkably well in the face of supporter unrest following the removal of the much admired previous regime. Pardew has steered Newcastle to tenth position in their first season back in the top flight and although not mathematically safe from relegation, it looks unlikely they will be dragged into a last minute dogfight to secure their place. Having lost Andy Carroll in the January transfer window and effectively replaced him with a journeyman like Shefki Kuqi, the Toon have done well to thrive in the Premier League. One would imagine that reinvestment in the team will have to follow in the summer but given owner Mike Ashley's reticence in this area, nothing would surprise the football world once more about goings on at St James' Park.

Following promotion, a lot of hope revolving around survival would have been based on solid home form seeing them through. However, a record of just five wins from 16 is not what they had in mind. Their saving grace this term has been their away form with the same number of victories meaning only six other teams have a better overall away record. They have won just one of their last five at home and with leading scorer Nolan suspended, Carroll sold and Ameobi doubtful, one wonders where the goals will come from to threaten United's back line.

Although their much heralded support can be worth a goal at times, they are notoriously fickle and are quick to get on the team's back if performing poorly. United will look to quell any early home side pressure before impressing their style on the game in the quest for a vital three points.

United

In my view, the above side should comfortably be able to get the result required tonight. With Rafael doubtful after a brief injury layoff, I would expect O'Shea to deputise at right back. My one concern as outlined in previous posts is the form of Patrice Evra. He has struggled defensively for a while now and looks in need of rejuvenation. It is possible he could be rested tonight for Fabio but more likely this could come on Saturday at home versus Everton. 

After a rest on Saturday, I would anticipate a return to central midfield for the evergreen Ryan Giggs alongside Michael Carrick. It is hoped that the Englishman quickly puts his mistake at the weekend behind him and remembers his excellent recent form. You could notice his head drop a little on Saturday and it has been suggested that he can be a little fragile mentally but a mis-placed pass can happen at any time so any damage to his confidence should be short lived. On the flanks I have selected Valencia and Nani with Park on the bench. Our wingers will come up against the much under-rated Enriqué and former United youth product Danny Simpson at full back and both have had impressive seasons for Newcastle.

Up front, I think Rooney's return will be combined with the restoration to the first team of Javier Hernández. This blossoming partnership should be able to cause the home team defence no end of problems with their movement and intelligence. Pace at the heart of the back line is an issue and there is no one better to exploit this than our little Mexican poacher. With Rooney finally looking back to his best and high on confidence, I would expect him to once more excel in his role off the front man. When Newcastle have the ball, he will drop into midfield to supplement the presence of Carrick and Giggs and look to stop Tioté having time on the ball. It will be his job to feed our wide man in a similar fashion to how he did against Chelsea last week with intelligent switching of play.

Scoreline Prediction

There is little doubt that Liverpool's equaliser on Sunday would have been like a dagger through the heart for Arsenal and a huge morale boost for United after their Wembley defeat. They will be well aware that another three points tonight will pile almost intolerable pressure on the Gunners ahead of their derby the following day. I am quietly confident that United will prevail tonight and will predict a 0-2 scoreline with goals from Hernández and Nani. With the home team looking short on goals and also almost certainly safe from relegation, I see nothing other than three points being brought back to Manchester.

Pivotal moments like tonight do not come along very often in a season and United must view this fixture as arguably their most important. Win and the main prize will be a very large step closer in my eyes. Dropped points could well galvanise a mentally frail Arsenal into a renewed surge that could lead to some more twists and turns before the end of the season.

The Reds have the mentality and experience to keep their foot firmly on the Gunners throats as the phrase "Never give a sucker an even break" springs to mind. Games are counting down and points can still be dropped but one imagines that Sir Alex Ferguson will let no obstacle block his path as United march inexorably towards a record 19th league championship.

Do you agree with my team and score predictions above? Please leave a comment or contact me on Twitter.