Newcastle United travel to Old Trafford on Saturday on the back of two consecutive defeats at the hands of Burnley and Bournemouth respectively. Manchester United, on the other hand, saw their recent good run come to an end at Stamford Bridge where the Red Devils were handed their second defeat of the season.
Both teams will be looking to bag all three points but if history is anything to go by, it doesn’t make good reading for the Toon Army. Newcastle United have failed to beat the Red Devils in the last five occasions with their last victory coming at Old Trafford in 2013.
Here are the three key men for the Magpies who can have a major influence in conjuring up a victory at Old Trafford.
Matt Ritchie
After a terrific start to the season when Ritchie made four assists in the first five games, his form has dipped a bit. And it has shown in the results with only one victory in last six matches for the Tyneside club.
Undoubtedly, the creative talent of the Scottish midfielder is what makes Benitez’s men tick. So if he can influence the game in a positive way, the Magpies should register their names on the score sheet.
Jonjo Shelvey
The former 25-year-old Liverpool midfielder has a lot of history against Manchester United. He was infamously sent off during a fixture against the Red Devils, a few years back. But as long as he can keep his temper in check, there is no doubt about his ability to strike the ball cleanly and his eye for the final pass.
If Newcastle United score at Old Trafford, expect the Englishman to be at the thick of all the action.
Rob Elliot
The Irishman has conceded only ten goals in eleven matches for Newcastle this season. Considering how they just got promoted to the Premier League, it is an impressive record. Elliot has already made some invaluable saves for his team this season and if the Magpies are to come away with atleast a point at Old Trafford on Saturday, he needs to put in another memorable performance in goal.
Mourinho’s men are hot in pursuit of league leaders, Manchester City so securing a victory may seem like an extremely difficult job for the Magpies. But we know that the two managers involved on Saturday have a lot of history from back when Benitez’s Liverpool used to regularly face-off against Mourinho’s Chelsea in cup competitions.
So expect a tight affair where neither manager would settle for anything else than a win.
