Soccer tips: Newcastle vs Man United: Magpies can frustrate Rangnick's top four hopes
- Michael Graham
- 26 December 2021
Manchester United travel to Newcastle on Monday for a high-stakes clash at both ends of the Premier League table.
Man United have fallen a little off the pace in the race for a top four finish, and they won't want to head into the new year too far behind.
Newcastle, meanwhile, are expecting a big investment from their new owners in January to dig them out of trouble. They could really do with some points in the meantime though to make that whole process a lot easier.
When, where, and how to watch
When: Monday, December 27, 20.00 GMT
Where: St James' Park
How to watch: Sky Sports
Best bets for Newcastle vs Man United
Since Eddie Howe took over the Magpies have finally won a game, but a tough run of fixtures has prevented them from building upon it.
Still, while they were overpowered by Man City last time out and poor against Leicester, you do wonder if Man United have the attacking fluidity to do the same if the hosts get their defending right.
The Red Devils have not been scoring many under Ralf Rangnick and so one goal might be enough to secure what would be a valuable point for Newcastle.
One man who has benefitted from Rangnick's appointment so far is Jadon Sancho. The German coach has put more faith in the winger than Ole Gunnar Solskjear did and he can be a real difference-maker on his day.
Recent form
Newcastle recently took four points from a two-game homestand against relegation rivals Norwich and Burnley, which is probably the minimum they needed to keep their survival hopes alive.
It's fair to say their form has been dreadful since. They lost 4-0 at Leicester and then 3-1 away at Liverpool four days later.
Last week they were comprehensively beaten by Man City at St James' Park, although they are not the only club the Citizens are doing that to at the moment.
Newcastle 1-0 Burnley
Leicester 4-0 Newcastle
Liverpool 3-1 Newcastle
Newcastle 0-4 Man City
Man United have bounced back well from the disastrous form that saw Solskjear depart, although they still look well short of firing on all cylinders.
Caretaker boss Michael Carrick oversaw good results against Chelsea and Arsenal, and Ralf Rangnick has kept that momentum going since.
Chelsea 1-1 Man Utd
Man Utd 3-2 Arsenal
Man Utd 1-0 Crystal Palace
Norwich 0-1 Man Utd
Time running out for Newcastle
It's probably fair to say that right now they only reason Newcastle are even in contention of staying in the Premier League this season is because two teams have been just as bad as they have.
If the Magpies fail to beat Man United, they will have gone half a season with just one solitary victory to their name.
The reality of that means in order to reach 35 points they will need to produce top-eight form for the second half of the campaign, and there are precious few signs that they are capable of that.
Rangnick taken Man Utd back to basics
United have not thrilled yet under Rangnick by any stretch of the imagination, but perhaps that is a good thing.
They relied on late goals in both of his Premier League wins so far, but with the attacking quality they have, you'd always back them to score in any game.
Goalscorer bets for Newcastle vs Man United
For Man United it's no surprise to see Cristiano Ronaldo the favourite to open the scoring at 11/5.
Jadon Sancho is 13/2 for the first goal and he has been given much more responsibility by Rangnick.
