Up to 15 players could miss Manchester United’s crunch clash against Newcastle on Friday evening as the Premier League confirm match officials.
Rúben Amorim is preparing his squad for their penultimate fixture of the calendar year as Manchester United welcome Newcastle to Old Trafford on Friday evening.
Owing to Premier League scheduling rules, the clash is the only Boxing Day fixture of the festive period, with the evening kick-off set to deliver a feisty affair under the lights.
Both sides have endured inconsistent campaigns so far, scoring freely but conceding far too often, a combination that points towards a potentially high-scoring encounter.
United currently sit seventh in the Premier League table, but a Boxing Day victory could see Amorim’s side rise to joint fourth, depending on results elsewhere, ahead of Liverpool and Chelsea’s weekend fixtures.
Premier League confirm United vs Newcastle referees
Anthony Taylor (pictured above) will be the referee on Friday evening in Manchester. Oliver has officiated 14 Premier League fixtures this season and a further five in the Champions League.
Taylor has officiated United twice this campaign, firstly taking charge of their 3-0 loss against Manchester City, with a 4-2 win over Brighton coming six weeks later, a much better afair.
This season, Taylor has issued 56 yellow cards in the Premier League and 77 across all competitions. He has issued one red card this season. He’s also awarded six penalties, four of which have come in the Premier League.
During the game, Gary Beswick and Marc Perry will serve as Taylor’s assistant referees. Sam Barrott will be the fourth official on Friday evening, separating Amorim and Eddie Howe.
Stuart Attwell has been appointed as the Video Assistant Referee. Craig Taylor will act as assistant VAR.
15 players could miss the fixture
For United, seven players have been confirmed as missing the Old Trafford tie. Bryan Mbeumo, Amad, and Noussair Mazraoui are all at the Africa Cup of Nations, while Amorim also confirmed he has four injury problems to deal with.
Bruno Fernandes picked up a hamstring issue last week and will miss the game, while Kobbie Mainoo is still recovering from a calf problem. Meanwhile, centre-backs Matthijs de Ligt and Harry Maguire are still out and will continue to be assessed.
Read More: Rúben Amorim explains “really good” sign from Shea Lacey and Jack Fletcher he saw vs Aston Villa
For Newcastle, Emile Krafth and Kieran Trippier will not return to action until early next month, while Dan Burn remains a long-term absence. William Osula and club captain Jamaal Lascelles have not been in a squad since November due to injuries.
Defender Sven Botman is close to a return but may not make it for the game, while Tino Livramento was hit with a knee injury earlier this month.
Eddie Howe has stated that there is a chance goalkeeper Nick Pope may make the squad, although Aaron Ramsdale would likely be the man in net for the Magpies regardless.
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