Ruben Amorim’s players want to get back on track against Newcastle on the traditional Boxing Day, this Friday (9 p.m.).
Christmas and New Year’s Eve promise to be decisive for Manchester United. Starting tomorrow, during the only scheduled display of the traditional Boxing Day in England, Ruben Amorim’s men must raise the bar against Newcastle at Old Trafford to calmly approach a pivotal triptych in their Premier League season.
Champions League Mission
Currently ranked 7th in the league with 26 points, the Mancunians, absent from the Big Ears Cup since the 2023-2024 season (eliminated in the group stage), intend to return to the prestigious competition next year. If the hopes of a title or even a podium are already gone, Arsenal is 13 points ahead and Aston Villa is 10 points behind, Manchester United is still in the race for the Top 5 to qualify for the Champions League (the Premier League could have five teams transferred to the “LDC” depending on the UEFA index).
Skip the ad
A victory against Newcastle (11th, 23 points) would allow Mason Mount’s teammates to temporarily catch up with Chelsea and Liverpool (4th, 29 points) before facing three teams fighting for survival: Wolverhampton, Leeds United and Burnley.
The sad record of Ruben Amorim
Held in check by Bournemouth after a rebound match (4-4) and beaten by Aston Villa in the last two matches (2-1), the former coach of Sporting Lisbon, inducted a little over a year ago on the Red Devils bench, is in the hot seat. Since his arrival, Ruben Amorim has held the sad record for the lowest win ratio of a club manager in the Premier League. His record in 44 matches: 14 wins – 10 draws and 20 defeats, he only wins about a third of his matches… For a total of 52 points gleaned, or barely more than one point on average per match. A statistic far from reassuring before the match against Newcastle.
A notable absentee
For the reception of the Magpies, Ruben Amorim will have to cope without the star of the team Bruno Fernandes. A headache for the Portuguese tactician. “I think it’s impossible to replace Bruno Fernandes. But I told the team this morning that we have to take advantage of this situation, because a lot of players have to rise to the occasion. “It’s a good opportunity for everyone to rise to the occasion and understand that we can’t rely on just one player.”
A new major challenge that the Red Devils will have to take on in order to avoid missing out on qualifying for the “LDC” for the third time in a row.
