Prediction & odds for the game: Manchester United (1/3) v Newcastle (8/1)

When: Thursday, 26th December 2019 @ 5.30pm K.O

Where: Old Trafford

Manchester United face what many are calling a must win on Boxing Day as they gear up for a big game against Newcastle United.

Manchester United

The rollercoaster of emotions that Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has been through in recent weeks has led many to contemplate the answer to a very important question: is he going to get the sack? United’s board seems to be eager to give him as many chances as possible, but the fans aren’t necessarily going to feel the same way. For the sake of stability, they need to hope and pray that they can secure a home win against Newcastle, which doesn’t sound like too much to ask.

A strong run of form from Manchester United ended in a bizarre way this past weekend as they were beaten 2-0 by bottom of the table Watford. Before that they progressed to the semi-finals of the Carabao Cup after beating Colchester, drew 1-1 with Everton and smashed AZ Alkmaar 4-0 in the Europa League. Oh, and they also had an insane three days in which they beat both Tottenham and Manchester City.

Newcastle

Steve Bruce is basking in the glory of the success he’s having at Newcastle, as he’s been able to prove a lot of people wrong so far this season. Whether or not it’s sustainable is a different matter altogether, but a conversation definitely needs to be had regarding whether or not this was actually a shrewd move from the Magpies. Alas, that would involve giving Mike Ashley praise, which is something that none of us are even remotely prepared to do as he’s pure evil.

When you lose to Aston Villa and Burnley it’s difficult to call your latest stretch of games a success – but it’s not impossible. They still drew 2-2 with reigning champions Manchester City and beat Sheffield United, Southampton and Crystal Palace.

Conclusion

These two old foes are probably going to have a pretty dull game, in our opinion, given the dynamic due to how both have played so far this season. Newcastle will take their time and try to pick their moments to pounce, but in the end, they won’t be able to break down the resistance of United’s back four which, from time to time, can actually be pretty strong. It’s not going to be a one-sided domination, but the visitors probably aren’t going to be walking away with a point.

With all of this being said, we’re going to go ahead and back the over 2.5 goals marker – with the likes of Marcus Rashford having one of those showcase days that he enjoys from time to time.

Verdict: Back the home win at odds of 1/3 and the over 2.5 goals scored at odds of 8/11. (All odds are taken from bet365).

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Manchester United v Newcastle can be bet on by visiting the betting page, whereas other games are also on the bill as seen on the soccer predictions page.