Manchester United vs Newcastle prediction: Premier League betting tips and odds

There’s just one game in the Premier League on Boxing Day this year as Newcastle United travel to Old Trafford to face Manchester United with both sides seeking a win to get their European qualification hopes back on track (8pm, Sky Sports Main Event).

United will be hoping to finally secure a win after two incredible games that saw them pick up just one point.

They were held to a 4-4 draw in their last home match with Bournemouth, despite taking the lead three times. Last time out, they were the better side against Aston Villa, but two moments of magic from Morgan Rogers gave the home side a 2-1 win.

Newcastle will also be looking for a change in fortunes after taking a point from their last two league matches. After losing the Wear-Tyne derby 1-0 to Sunderland, they were outstanding in the first half of Saturday’s home match with Chelsea.

They went in 2-0 up after a brace from Nick Woltemade, who could have had four, only for the momentum to shift in the second half as Chelsea fought back to take a point.

The Magpies will need to pick themselves up at Old Trafford, but have struggled away from home this season and betting sites make United the favourites to end a three-game winless run at the Thearte of Dreams.

United go into the game seventh in the Premier League table, with 26 points from their 17 games so far, and a win would see them move above Liverpool into fifth place for 24 hours at least.

They are three points and four places above Friday’s opponents and will be hoping for a better result than in this fixture last season.

Two early goals from Alexander Isak and Joelinton gave Newcastle a 2-0 win at Old Trafford, their top flight win on United’s patch since 2013. They lost seven and drew two of the other nine fixtures at the home of the 13-time Premier League Champions.

Newcastle's away form this season has been a real concern for Eddie Howe, who has seen his team pick up just one win and two draws on the road in the league.

The win came at Everton when Malick Thiaw scored twice, and Lewis Miley and Nick Woltemade were also on target in a 4-1 win. They also drew away at Aston Villa and Leeds back in August, but they have been very reliant on their home form to keep them looking up the league table.

Ruben Amorim’s side have lost just twice at home so far this season, against Arsenal and Everton, while they have won four and drawn the last two against Bournemouth and West Ham, when they were held to a 1-1 draw.

There have been five goals in two of the last three meetings between the two sides, and both have been conceding in recent weeks.

Two of United’s last three games have seen five or more goals, while seven Premier League matches so far have included four or more.

Newcastle have seen four or more goals scored six times in the league so far and haven’t kept a clean sheet in their last 10, so it’s not a surprise that football betting sites are offering just 4/7 on both teams to score.

Only Bournemouth and Leeds have been involved in more Premier League games featuring four or more goals than United, and the Premier League odds on another high-scoring contest appeal more than a wager on the match outcome.

Manchester Utd vs Newcastle prediction 1: Over 3.5 goals - 13/8 Bet365

With Bruno Fernandes likely to be out of action well into the New Year, it is important that someone else steps up for United and brings creativity to the side.

They are also without Bryan Mbeumo and Amad Diallo, who are away at the Africa Cup of Nations, so it does give other players an opportunity.

Matheus Cuhna has two goals in his last two appearances, against Bournemouth and Aston Villa, and is the standout candidate for United to score in this game.

The 26-year-old has scored just three goals in 19 appearances since a £62.5m move from Wolves in the summer. But he’s started to show signs of the kind of form that resulted in him scoring 18 for club and country last season, and he’s 2/1 on football betting apps to net against Newcastle.

As well as the 15 league goals last season, he also managed six assists in an average Wolves side, so could we expect more from him as a provider?

Man Utd vs Newcastle prediction 2: Cunha to score - 2/1 BoyleSports

Bruno Fernandes is out with the hamstring injury he suffered at Aston Villa. He joins Amad Diallo, Harry Maguire, Bryan Mbuemo and Noussair Mazraoui in being unavailable to Ruben Amorim due to injury or international duty. Matthijs de Ligt and Kobbie Mainoo are doubts.

Eddie Howe is hopeful Nick Pope and Lewis Miley could be available to face United, but the game may come too soon for Joelinton and Sven Botman. Tino Livramento, Emil Krafth, Kieran Trippier and William Osula are unavailable.

Manchester United: Lammens; Heaven, Yoro, Shaw; Dalot, Ugarte, Casemiro, Dorgu; Mount, Cunha; Sesko

Newcastle: Ramsdale; Miley, Schar, Thiaw, Hall; Bruno Guimaraes, Tonali, Ramsey; Murphy, Gordon; Woltemade

TalkSport Bet is running one of the standout betting sign up offers this Christmas, giving new UK customers £50 in free bets when they bet £10 on football.

To qualify, sign up via the link above, opt in to the Christmas Cracker promotion, deposit £10 and place a £10 bet at odds of evens or bigger within three days.

Once the bet settles, a £50 free bet to use on football will be credited, with no wagering requirements on winnings.

The free bet is valid for seven days and can be used as a single bet or split up into smaller stakes for multiple wagers.

When having a bet, it’s vital to practice responsible gambling.

Betting can be addictive and it’s important to stay in control of your betting. Never treat gambling as a way to make money, never bet more than you can afford and when the fun stops, stop.

Gambling sites offer punters tools, like deposit limits, profit and loss trackers and self-exclusion options, to help them stay in control.

But if you ever feel like you need help or advice on gambling addiction, don’t hesitate to contact one of the charities or organisations below.

We may earn commission from some of the links in this article, but we never allow this to influence our content. This revenue helps to fund journalism across The Independent.