Manchester Utd vs. Newcastle: Team News, Predicted Lineups, Live Stream, TV Info

Manchester United vs. Newcastle United sees Louis van Gaal's men look to best former United man Steve McClaren's Magpies. Confidence should be high at Old Trafford as the side have started the season with three wins. 

(With apologies to Newcastle fans, "United" from here on out refers to Manchester United). 

McClaren is still looking for his first win with Newcastle. He may want to stay away from football history books as he searches for inspiration in the build-up to this one, given that the Toon have beaten United just once since 1972.

Richard Heathcote/Getty Images

That win came at the height of the David Moyes reign and was one of the many performances that earned the Scot the sack before he managed to complete his first season in charge. 

McClaren enjoyed a fine reputation as No. 2 to Sir Alex Ferguson during his time at United. His managerial career has seen plenty of ups and downs, and given last season's traumas, he has his work cut out for him at St. James' Park. This trip to his old stomping ground will be a tough test.

Date: Saturday, 22 August

Time: 12.45 p.m. BST/7.45 a.m. ET

Venue: Old Trafford, Manchester

TV Info:  BT Sport 1 (UK Only)/NBCSN (US Only)

Live Stream: BT Sport Website (UK Only)/NBC Sports Live Extra (US only)

Form Lines

Manchester United: WWW

Newcastle United: DL

Team News

Manchester United are in relatively rude health at the moment. Van Gaal told MUTV (h/t the club's official website): "Only [Phil] Jones is ill, but it’s getting better with him. He’s already running on the pitch. It’s not bad. [Marcos] Rojo needs match fitness, yes."

Newcastle are without the suspended Daryl Janmaat. They are also waiting on the fitness of Moussa Sissoko.  Assistant coach Paul Simpson told their official website:

"

He wants to play, he's made it quite clear to the medical staff and to the coaching staff. If he has a chance, he wants to be involved.

He's done a little bit of light running. Whether this weekend's too early for him, we'll just have to wait and see but fingers crossed he'll continue making the recovery he has done to date and if he does that, you never know, we might see him out there.

"

Simpson also said that Siem de Jong and Paul Dummett were back in training but that Dummett is "feeling some aches and pains."

Predicted Lineups

Manchester United's back five seem pretty nailed on to stay intact. They have performed well as a unit so far this season, and there is no need for a change. In midfield, Van Gaal has hinted that Bastian Schweinsteiger could make his first start for the club, saying to MUTV when asked about the German (again, h/t ManUtd.com);

"

Yes, of course. It’s a matter of time. Maybe it shall happen tomorrow. You never know. I think he can still do better because when you are not fit enough then it is difficult to show your highest level. But I think it’s also a matter of time and we have seen a solution in rotating our [second] captain, Michael Carrick, with Schweinsteiger.

I think it’s a very good solution because we can spare them both for the big moments.

"

Memphis Depay's brilliant performance against Club Brugge coming off the left will presumably ensure he stays in the side in that spot, meaning Adnan Januzaj should continue at No. 10. This means no place in the side for Ander Herrera, something that seems a huge waste of a great talent.

There is a long season ahead, though, and Herrera will surely get his chance. 

Ashley Young has not seen action since the opening day of the season. He seems to be a little lower down the manager's pecking order than he was at the end of last season. 

Newcastle have a few different options, but the above lineup seems plausible. Alternatives would include using Vurnon Anita at right-back and playing Cheik Tiote in defensive midfield. Also, either De Jong or Sissoko could return if their fitness is up to the task. 

New signing Florian Thauvin could also come straight into the side in place of Rolando Aarons—the predicted lineup above assumes he starts on the bench.

Finally, Aleksandar Mitrovic is an option in place of Pappis Cisse if McClaren wants to try to bully United's centre-backs with a more physical presence. 

Players to Watch 

For United, Memphis will be keen to continue his good form after Tuesday night's display. His confidence should be high. Schweinsteiger, whether as a substitute or starter, is always worth watching. United's full-backs have been the star performers for their side this season, and both Luke Shaw and Matteo Darmian will look to continue that momentum. 

At some point this season, Wayne Rooney will have to improve his performances for United to be successful. There were glimpses of improvement against Club Brugge, particularly his flick for Memphis in the second half, but there is a long way to go if he is to become the striker United need him to be.

For Newcastle, Georginio Wijnaldum is being used in an advanced role by McClaren. He started brightly against Southampton and will be a threat here. If Thauvin does make an appearance, he has the potential to make a difference, having a fine repertoire of tricks at his disposal, although some Newcastle fans are questioning how useful skills like this would be in a game.

Key Battle

How well United's unlikely pairing of Chris Smalling and Daley Blind handle Newcastle's forwards will be an important factor in this game, particularly on the counter-attack.

However, what United have been missing in the Premier League so far is attacking fluidity. That was much improved against Club Brugge in the Champions League, but Newcastle's defence should be a sterner test. Juan Mata's contribution could be important here, and it will be up to Massadio Haidara to try to keep him quiet.

Rooney's battle with Newcastle's centre-halves will also be important, particularly his ability to carve out space for United's attacking midfielders to exploit.

Odds

The odds for the game, at the time of writing, per Odds Shark are: 

Manchester United Win: 20/51

Draw: 17/4

Newcastle United Win: 9/1

Thanks to Jonny Sharples for his invaluable input on Newcastle United. Follow Jonny on Twitter @JonnyGabriel for more.