'Sorry' Man United have no chance against Newcastle as surprise key man named

Newcastle United's away form this season would rarely make them favourites to win on the road in the Premier League, but then again, it's only Manchester United! A bit cheeky, I know, but the crown has slipped very far off the head of the former perennial title challengers and such is the state of things at Old Trafford at the minute, the stadium has more leaks in it than the team's defence!

A team missing key personnel and with a manager under pressure, Man United are in a tough spot at the moment and that's why optimism for a rare Newcastle win at Old Trafford has been raised. Eddie Howe's side travel to Manchester this evening knowing victory will ensure the lowest they can finish is seventh place this season and it also keeps alive the hopes of a fifth-place finish following Tottenham Hotspur's defeat at home to Manchester City last night.

Newcastle are being tipped for a win, with former Premier League winner Chris Sutton sharing that belief. Writing in his BBC Sport predictions column, Sutton said; "We have started to feel sorry for Manchester United, haven't we? Saying things like 'they put up a good fight' in their defeat by Arsenal, or talking about how they pushed them and made it edgy.

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"I agree they did all of the above, but surely with Manchester United you want to see a bit more quality in their performance as well? At the moment, they are showing about as much quality as the roof at Old Trafford did during the downpour after Sunday's game.

"It's hard to see anything different from them this time so, with apologies to Manchester United's fans, I am going to back their team to lose again. I thought Newcastle United would beat Brighton on Saturday, but they missed Callum Wilson, who was ill. He could be back for this game, though, and would give them the cutting edge they were missing against the Seagulls."