Chris Sutton makes apology before ‘gut feeling’ prediction for Man Utd vs Newcastle

Manchester United face a difficult test on Monday evening as they host in-form Newcastle United in their latest Premier League clash.

The Reds’ final match of 2024 sees Ruben Amorim look to escape a recent rut of form that has left United 14th in the Premier League table.

A run of three straight defeats to Bournemouth, Tottenham Hotspur, and Wolves has drawn sharp criticism, with underwhelming performances frustrating both fans and pundits.

Amorim’s 3-4-3 system is still a work in progress, but the adjustment period has revealed weaknesses, particularly in defending set pieces—a persistent issue over the past month.

With the busy festive schedule underway, a home victory against Newcastle would provide a crucial morale boost ahead of the New Year.

However, Eddie Howe’s side come into the game full of confidence with four wins in their last five games. Their most recent game was a dominant 3-0 win over Aston Villa earlier this week.

Sutton delivers United vs Newcastle prediction

Former Premier League striker Chris Sutton has delivered his Premier League predictions for the upcoming game-week.

Sutton, 51, has jokingly apologised for his recent predictions for United, saying that he should have stuck to his ‘gut feeling’ on the underperforming Old Trafford outfit, who he predicts will lose 2-1 to Newcastle on Monday night.

“It is not difficult to know what will happen here,” Sutton began in his BBC column.

“Newcastle are flying and I am starting to get worried about poor Manchester United boss Ruben Amorim, because he has stopped smiling already.

“I need to apologise here though, because I was far too kind to Manchester United last week when I said they would get a draw at Wolves.

“Their fans give me so much stick on social media whenever I say they will lose that it must have got to me a bit – I have become a bit of a chicken and have put them down to get a draw when my gut feeling has been for them to lose.

“That has got to stop, because they are rubbish. That is not on Amorim because we will judge him when he has a chance to bring in his own players but, for now, we have to see them for what they are, which is a really poor side.”

This is United’s new reality for now

Unfortunately, the former Blackburn Rovers forward has a point. This is a reality for United at the moment and easy victories against most Premier League teams cannot be guaranteed.

The English top flight feels like it is stronger than ever before, with top quality players littered across almost every club. Wolves’ Matheus Cunha outclassed every United player earlier this week.

When that coincides with some of the mess we’re seeing at Old Trafford, it’s extremely difficult to predict any game involving the Reds.

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Amorim admitted that he wasn’t sure when things are going to get better. He has had just four full training sessions with his squad since arriving around six weeks ago.

For now, this is the reality that we are in and things don’t seem like they will be changing with the snap of a finger.

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