This fixture has been dominated by Eddie Howe in recent years, and the Newcastle United manager will hope that continues to be the case on Sunday.
His side have won three Premier League games in a row, as they aim to qualify for the Champions League. That is now an even stronger possibility, with the Premier League getting five Champions League places for next season.
To ensure they finish in the top five, Newcastle United must continue their strong run of form. That is expected to happen at St James’ Park this weekend.
Roy Keane predicts Newcastle United vs Manchester United
That is the view of Roy Keane and Gary Neville, who have both admitted that Newcastle United will beat Manchester United as part of their Super 6 predictions on the latest episode of the Stick To Football podcast.
But while the Magpies are expected to win, Neville and Ian Wright do not think the scoreline will be as emphatic as Keane has suggested.
Keane: “3-1 Newcastle.”
Wright: “I don’t like that.”
Neville: “I wouldn’t go that strong either. I think [Manchester] United are quite solid. 2-1 Newcastle.”
Newcastle United’s recent record vs Manchester United
Since Eddie Howe replaced Steve Bruce at St James’ Park, Newcastle have done very well against Manchester United.
The two sides have met eight times. Newcastle have won four, Man United have won two and there has been two draws.
One of those wins for Newcastle came earlier this season, with the Magpies beating Manchester United and getting on the scoresheet.
Howe’s side were absolutely dominant that night, as he took on Ruben Amorim for the first time.
Now they will meet at St James’ Park, either side of what is a pivotal Europa League quarter-final for the Red Devils. That will be their man focus, as winning that competition is Man United’s only hope of getting into next season’s Champions League.
But Newcastle can qualify through the Premier League, and will be a step closer if they pick up another three points on Sunday. Roy Keane and Gary Neville expect that to happen, even if they do disagree over what the score will be.
For Howe, all that matters is victory.
