When Newcastle United visit Old Trafford on Sunday in the Premier League, Manchester United will be attempting to make it four straight victories in all competitions.
With 15 points from their first eight games, the Red Devils are presently fifth in the standings, while Newcastle is sixth with 14 points despite having played one more game than Erik ten Hag's team.
There is no escaping the reality that Ten Hag has experienced some challenging times in the early parts of his tenure as Man United manager, most notably the 4-0 setback against Brentford and the 6-3 loss at Manchester City, but the Dutchman has also experienced a lot of encouraging signals.
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Eight victories in their past 10 games across all competitions, including five Premier League triumphs over Liverpool, Southampton, Leicester City, Arsenal, and Everton, were achieved thanks to a late McTominay winner in Thursday's 1-0 Europa League victory over Omonia.
The Red Devils have a log of five wins and three losses from eight games, giving them 15 points, leaving them in fifth place in the standings, one point behind Chelsea in fourth place and nine points below toppers Arsenal, despite having a game in hand over the top-of-the-table Gunners.
Cristiano Ronaldo scored his first Premier League goal of the season as Man United recovered from behind to defeat Everton in the league last weekend.
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Ten Hag's team will now be attempting to extend their winning streak by defeating an improved Newcastle on Sunday.
The Red Devils are entering a tough run of league matches, as they will face Spurs, Chelsea and West Ham in their three after this game, and it will be fascinating to see where the team finishes in the table heading into the 2022 World Cup.
Man United have won four of their last five Premier League games against the Magpies, including a 4-1 win over them in the corresponding clash last season, while they are unbeaten against Sunday's opponents at Old Trafford in the league since December 2013.
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Because of his recent yellow card in Man United's victory over Everton, McTominay will be absent this weekend due to a suspension.
While Mason Greenwood continues to be on the team's suspension list, Donny van de Beek, Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Brandon Williams, Axel Tuanzebe, and Harry Maguire are all still sidelined.
However, Raphael Varane has been in the squad for the past two games after returning from injury, and he is expected to play on Sunday. Luke Shaw is also expected to be included in the starting line-up.
Alongside Casemiro and Bruno Fernandes, Christian Eriksen should return to the midfield, and Ronaldo is expected to hold his spot at centre-forward given that Anthony Martial is still a doubt for fitness owing to a back ailment as per Ten Hag and Jadon Sancho has not been in the best form recently.
For Newcastle, Karl Darlow, Emil Krafth, Jonjo Shelvey, Matt Ritchie, and Alexander Isak are still side-lined for this weekend's lineup.
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Allan Saint-Maximin is expected to miss the game against the Red Devils, therefore Jacob Murphy is likely to start there, with Callum Wilson at centre forward and Miguel Almiron operating off the left. This would be the sole alteration.
Bruno Guimaraes, who has been in excellent form this year and scored a brace against Brentford, will once more play in the centre of the park for Howe's team.
The fixture is due to kick-off on Sunday afternoon and could see Manchester United break into the top four of the Premier League table, depending on other results.
Featured Image Credit: AlamyTopics: Manchester United, Newcastle United, Scott Mctominay, Allan Saint-Maximin, Premier League