Update: Ruben Amorim hints at Manchester United changes vs Newcastle News

Newcastle are unbeaten at home against Man United since Eddie Howe took over and are going for a Champions League spot.

Ruben Amorim is set to rotate his Manchester United side against Newcastle ahead of their Europa League quarter-final second leg at home to Lyon next week.

United travel up to Newcastle on Sunday, having been denied victory in the first leg in Lyon on Thursday night through Rayan Cherki’s 95th-minute equaliser.

The Europa League is the only trophy United are able to win this season and triumphing in the competition would secure Champions League qualification. United are stuck in 13th in the Premier League and could drop down to 15th before kick-off at St James’ Park.

Newcastle occupy the final Champions League qualifying spot in fifth and United have failed to win their last three games on Tyneside. United have won just two of their past eight games against Newcastle.

When United reached the final of the Europa League in 2017 and 2021, managers Jose Mourinho and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer fielded heavily-rotated teams during their Premier League run-in. United were marooned in sixth under Mourinho while Solskjaer’s side secured a second-place finish with matches to spare four years ago.

Amorim picked an unchanged side for the first time at Lyon and he expects to have the same squad available this weekend. Victor Lindelof, Kobbie Mainoo, Mason Mount and Joshua Zirkzee could come into the starting XI this weekend but Amorim intends to play a strong enough side to win at Newcastle for the first time since October 2020.

“There is a great responsibility,” Amorim explained. “We don’t have a team that is really big and then we have players that I know cannot make 90 minutes in this moment. We have to be really careful.

“So we will try to address all these subjects in the game against Newcastle. But we have a great responsibility when we play any games. I will try to look at that, that is for sure. We have to face Newcastle with a team that we can be competitive to win the game.

“Sometimes winning games is the best way of preparing for the next one. Of course, I am going to be careful with some players but again we need to be competitive. When you are playing for Manchester United you cannot go to the game thinking about the next one.

“So we are going to face this one and then we have three days. We are going to prepare for the next one (against Lyon) without a lot of running and a lot of training. It’s just recovering and then we will be fine on Thursday with our fans. But we need to face Newcastle in a way that we can win.”

Bruno Fernandes has started in 46 of United’s 49 matches this season. The 30-year-old missed the reverse game against Newcastle and European tie with Fenerbahce through suspension and the only fixture he was rested for was the 7-0 thrashing of Barnsley in the League Cup. Fernandes still came on in the 62nd minute that night.

Fernandes’ fine form continued in France, where he crossed for Joshua Zirkzee to put United ahead in the 88th minute. Amorim suggested interrupting the durable Fernandes’ rhythm could compromise his form.

“We will make this evaluation with all the staff and all the data that we have,” he added. “Then, because we already know the players, we will try to protect the ones that it will be hard to make a lot of games.

“Bruno Fernandes is playing all the time and he is playing better all the time. Sometimes this kind of player doesn’t play in every match, but we will address that.”

Newcastle eased past Leicester City in a 3-0 victory on Monday night for what was their fourth straight win. United were 2-0 down after 19 minutes against Newcastle at Old Trafford in December and the Magpies have the chance to record a domestic double against United for the first time since 1930-31.

“They have top players,” Amorim stressed. “Really good on set pieces, the physicality and the way they are running when they are beaten in the first pressure. They play together for a while and they won a title that was really emotional for everybody – you can see it during that week.

“But again, we have to be in our team the way we want to play these kind of games and we are being more consistent in the way we play the games and we will try to do the same on Sunday.”