Eddie Howe will take a strong Newcastle United squad to Old Trafford tonight as they look to sign off 2024 with their fifth win in a row. With Manchester United struggling for form, the Magpies will be confident of adding to Ruben Amorim’s woes this evening, but won’t be under any illusions over the size of the task.
The 3-0 win over Aston Villa on Boxing Daycapped an impressive few weeks for Newcastle, and they would love to end the year with a strong away performance. Howe has the same squad available to him that featured in midweek, but is expected to add Tino Livramento into the mix.
The England full-back sat out Boxing Day due to illness but Howe anticipated he would be able to return this evening. He could be in line to resume his place ahead of Kieran Trippier, with the experienced defender coming off against Villa with a minor knock.
Callum Wilson, Nick Pope, Emil Krafth and Jamaal Lascelles remain sidelined, while Sven Botman is yet to make an appearance in the squad since returning to training following ACL surgery, The Dutch defender won’t be rushed as Howe looks to ensure he is fully recovered, but could be introduced from the bench in the coming weeks.
Howe is looking forward to tonight’s game, and has challenged his side to take any opportunities that come their way. “Every time you play is an opportunity and I have always had that belief as a player and a manager,” he said. “You never know what will happen. It is a blank canvas. What can we achieve in this game?
“It will be down to our attitude first. It is a fixture we should try to attack and keep our rhythm and be the best version of ourselves. We will try to grab it if we can.”
Newcastle United squad vs Manchester United: Dubravka, Vlachodimos, Trippier, Livramento, Schar, Burn, Hall, Kelly, Targett, Tonali, Guimaraes, Joelinton, Longstaff, Willock, Miley, Almiron, Barnes, Murphy, Gordon, Osula, Isak.
