Manchester United vs Newcastle United

Old Trafford plays host to Cristiano Ronaldo’s second Manchester United debut as the ‘Red Devils’ take on a struggling Newcastle United side in a seemingly routine Premier League task.

Unbeaten after their first three Premier League fixtures this season (W2, D1), Manchester United are odds-on favorites to extend their winning home league streak against Newcastle to five matches. There was plenty of action across United’s last four home H2H victories, as each saw the ‘Red Devils’ net 3+ goals without keeping a clean sheet. Another high-scoring affair is well on the cards, as Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s men have found the net in 12 home Premier League outings in a row, scoring a total of 40 on an average of 2.9 per game. Cristiano Ronaldo’s blockbuster return to Old Trafford after 12 years has been making the headlines over the past couple of weeks, with the Portugal captain looks set to make his second United debut a week after becoming the highest goalscorer in men’s international football.

On the other hand, a sluggish start to the season has seen Newcastle pick up just a single point from their inaugural three league games, worryingly conceding 2+ goals on each occasion. Unfortunately, they now go up against a formidable opposition they’ve managed to beat only once across their last 36 away league H2Hs (D9, L26), courtesy of a 1-0 win in December 2013. Interestingly, though, the ‘Magpies’ have broken the deadlock in six of their previous eight Premier League fixtures against Man United but ultimately managed to win just two of those (L4). Steve Bruce’s side can find some comfort in a decent away form, as they’ve racked up three victories from their last five Premier League travels (D1, L1), scoring 2+ goals in each triumph. But they have suffered 21 defeats across their previous 22 top-flight matches against the sides starting the day inside the top three (W1).