Manchester United’s chances of qualifying for European competition next season take center stage on Wednesday when they take on Newcastle United.
United are in eighth place and three points behind sixth-place Newcastle, who are in the Premier League’s only qualifying spot for next season’s UEFA Europa Conference League. This will not be the only game on Wednesday that is relevant in the race for the Conference League; Chelsea are seventh and level on points with Newcastle, but could remain in the hunt when they take on Brighton and Hove Albion.
Here’s what you need to know before you tune in.
How to watch and odds
- Date: Wednesday May 15 | Time: 3:00 PM ET
- Place: Old Trafford – Stretford, England
- TV: US Network | Live stream: Fubo (try for free)
- Chances: Manchester United +175; Sign +290; Newcastle United +135
Storylines
United are slumping towards the finish line of a chaotic season, with recent results only adding to the misery on the pitch. They have won just once in their last eight league games, with that lone win coming against relegated Sheffield United. It hasn’t been a goalless spell – they’ve scored 13 goals in that period – but the fact they haven’t scored in their last two games, combined with the fact they’ve scored 17 goals, adds an extra layer. of caring for a season full.
Although a loss on Wednesday will not mathematically exclude them from European competition next season, they are not the front-runners to qualify for the Conference League and would therefore miss out on a continental tournament for the first time in a decade.
It doesn’t help that United go into the game against Newcastle exhausted. Bruno Fernandes is expected to sit out this game with a knee injury that has kept him out of United’s last two games, while Scott McTominay and a long list of others have been out injured for some time. Erik ten Hag will still be able to rely on some of his regulars, such as Rasmus Hojlund and Marcus Rashford, but they will need to break United’s brief goalless spell on Wednesday to make an impact.
Prediction
Newcastle have recorded three wins in the last five and have scored more than four goals three times, meaning things could turn in their favor again against a defensively unstable United on Wednesday. The home team may be able to score at some point, but that may not be enough to win. Choose: Manchester United 1, Newcastle United 3
