Manchester United have lost five games in December alone. On Monday, they could increase that dismal record to six.
Indeed, the Red Devils have found themselves at rock bottom just 10 games into Ruben Amorim’s tenure, during which he has reigned victorious only four times.
United enter Monday’s Premier League clash having sustained back-to-back home defeats on the spin – though you could potentially be more successful when testing your luck with Spin Casino – to Nottingham Forest and Bournemouth respectively, while their most recent outing saw them fall to a 2-0 away loss at the hands of the struggling Wolverhampton Wanderers.
As for the visitors, Newcastle United, they’ve also endured tumultuous form since 2024/2025 got underway, but have maintained significantly better consistency than the Reds in recent weeks.
Eddie Howe’s men now sit fifth-placed in the division after 18 matches played, boasting a seven-point advantage over 14th-placed United, who are a whopping 12 points off of the Champions League places.
In terms of the options Amorim is likely to have at his disposal, Luke Shaw and Mason Mount, as per usual, are sidelined with lengthy injury setbacks. Victor Lindelof is also expected to be unavailable with a newly-suffered issue.
Amorim previews United vs Magpies contest
The boss will have to navigate the absences of both Bruno Fernandes and Manuel Ugarte due to suspensions, the former through the red card he was shown at the Molineux on Thursday, and the latter after receiving a fifth yellow card in the second half of the clash.
When pressed on who will take the armband in Fernandes’ place, and whether it would be ex-skipper Harry Maguire, Amorim told reporters: “You will have to wait until the game and then you will see the captain.
“He [Maguire] works really well, he is focused on the job and not what people say. He has no excuses even though he had some tough moments, I think he is an example. He’s there to play, to help the team, he’s trying to do that.”
“We have to fight against everything. Our supporters are always there but they are tired of this moment. We have to expect that any play from Newcastle near our box is going to put the stadium nervous and our players have to cope with that,” he said of the Magpies.
“It’s a very strong team, very fast with a lot of pace and a lot of time working with the same coach. We want to be competitive and try to win the game.”
Kick-off is at 8pm in M16 and the game will be broadcast on Sky Sports to viewers in the United Kingdom.
