Manchester United vs. Newcastle: Team News, Preview, Live Stream, TV Info

Manchester United have little room to manoeuvre in pursuit of the Premier League title when they face Newcastle United on Saturday evening.

The previous loss to Chelsea means that while the Red Devils remain in second place in the table, they are eight points behind local rivals Manchester City. With the latter kicking off earlier in the day at Leicester City, that margin could be 11 come kick-off at Old Trafford.

Newcastle won't be an opponent United can easily brush aside either, as they have turned in some bright performances on their return to the Premier League under manager Rafael Benitez. After two consecutive defeats, the Magpies could do with a positive result, though.

Here are the key viewing details for what is always an intriguing showdown, the early team news and a look ahead to how this one is likely to go. 

Date: Saturday, November 18

Time: 5:30 p.m. (GMT), 12:30 p.m. (ET)

TV Info: BT Sport (UK) NBC Sports Gold (U.S.)

Live Stream: BT Sport Website (UK) NBC Sports App (U.S.)

Team News

Manchester United: Paul Pogba remains a big doubt for United having been sidelined since September, while Phil Jones suffered a calf injury in England's friendly against Germany last week. Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Michael Carrick and Marcos Rojo are also set to miss out.

Likely XI: David De Gea; Antonio Valencia, Eric Bailly, Chris Smalling, Ashley Young; Ander Herrera, Nemanja Matic; Henrikh Mkhitaryan, Marouane Fellaini, Marcus Rashford; Romelu Lukaku

Newcastle United: Mikel Merino has been suffering with a back problem and is a doubt. Paul Dummett, meanwhile, is not expected to return from his hamstring injury until next month.

Likely XI: Rob Elliot; DeAndre Yedlin, Jamaal Lascelles, Florian Lejeune, Javier Manquillo; Matt Ritchie, Isaac Hayden, Jonjo Shelvey, Mohamed Diame, Christian Atsu, Joselu

Preview

Mark Thompson/Getty Images

While there will be plenty of focus on the 22 players on the field on Saturday at Old Trafford, the match will also bring together two rival managers.

During their respective times at Chelsea and Liverpool, Jose Mourinho and Benitez were involved in some titanic tussles in the Premier League and the UEFA Champions League. And it's fair to say neither man is particularly fond of the other.

As noted by Josh Wright of WhoScored.com, it has been a while since the two bosses sent their sides out to battle against each other:

While the two teams may have been evenly matched in the past, United are the big favourites for the game on Saturday despite losing two of their last three Premier League matches.

Against Chelsea last time out, Mourinho surprised plenty with a more expansive setup than usual, though his team still found chances tough to come by in the final third. Once again, Romelu Lukaku cut an isolated figure at the top end of the pitch, failing to touch the ball once in the Blues' penalty area.

Catherine Ivill - AMA/Getty Images

The form of the Belgian forward has tailed off slightly in United colours as of late, with the defences of Liverpool, Huddersfield Town, Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea marshalling him well.

However, he netted three times during the international break for Belgium and reached a landmark in the process, per the club's official Twitter account:

"

 Belgium's all-time leading goalscorer: @RomeluLukaku9! Congrats, Rom.  pic.twitter.com/YeNNN6W2iU

— Manchester United (@ManUtd) November 15, 2017"

Mourinho will be pondering who to use in unison with Lukaku. Henrikh Mkhitaryan has struggled for form lately, while Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial have typically been rotated for the Red Devils.

Regardless, United have been able to rely on their home form under Mourinho, which means there will be a lot of confidence they can get back to winning ways against the Magpies.

As noted by Squawka Football, the Red Devils have yet to lose at home with the Portuguese at the helm:

It's a measure of the challenge facing Benitez and his side, especially given they have taken just five points from the last 18 available to them.

While they have the concentration and organisation to be tough to break down, it's difficult to see where they will test a United defence that has yet to concede at Old Trafford this term in top flight.

The game is unlikely to be an aesthetic one given the pragmatic nature of both managers, who will remain wary of the abilities of the other. But United will be too strong eventually.

Prediction: Manchester United 2-0 Newcastle United