The ever-exciting and much-anticipated Boxing Day premier league fixtures as always kicks off tomorrow. But before I continue, I want to use this opportunity to say Merry Xmas to you… More great things to come. Alright with that awesomeness out of the way and like I mentioned above, tomorrow is the much-anticipated Boxing Day premier league fixtures and as always, there are lots of exciting fixtures lined up. Coming up next is the Man United vs Newcastle fixture at Old Trafford, a stern test for Man United as they aim to return to winning ways.
Man United have been in mostly ups and downs situations this season. They began to pick up momentum not too long but have found themselves back down again with their form in their last two games without a win. They face another difficult test at home against a very tough Newcastle, the reverse fixture months ago which ended in a deserved Newcastle victory over Man United, as Man United aim to return to winning ways and avoid losing twice against Newcastle this season. They are currently sitting 8th on the table, same points as their opponent Newcastle who are also on 25 points. This is a very crucial game for United as a loss or a draw could see them drop below 10th on the table.
Expected formation and tactics – Man United will be expected to set up in a 4-2-3-1 or a 3-4-3 formation. They would be looking to attack at home and try to utilize their qualities in quick counter-attacks to get the job done against Newcastle. As the home side, they would be aiming to dominate possession and also try to find spaces in the game to exploit.
Newcastle are in the same situation and are in fact level on points with Man United who are also on 25 points. They’ve beaten Man United before and already know how to beat Man United which would give them the much-needed confidence going into this game at Old Trafford. However, they know how difficult going to Old Trafford is for any team in the premier league which makes this fixture a very difficult one for Newcastle as if they don’t put in a performance above 100%, they can lose the game comfortably. Notwithstanding, Newcastle have shown that they have what it takes to upset Man United on their day.
Expected formation and tactics – Newcastle will be expected to set up in a 5-4-1 formation. They are a very physical and difficult team to break down, so their gameplan would most likely be to make it very difficult for Man United to find spaces in behind and utilize their physicality to capitalize on set pieces and counter-attacks to hurt Man United. They could also be looking at direct football and long balls as an option in their quest to do the double against Man United. This post can also be found on my scorum blog
What do you think will be the outcome of this fixture?
