Will Rashford lead the Red Devils to their first title of the season?

Traditionally, the League Cup is the first prestigious title of the year in English football. With Manchester City having won five of the past seven editions of the cup competition, which is of course far less important than the FA Cup, city rivals Manchester United are now set to add silverware to their so-far successful 2022/23 season.

At Wembley Stadium, in front of a crowd of more than 80,000, Erik ten Hag’s team will face surprise side Newcastle United, who, however, have faltered of late and in some cases failed to match their outstanding performances from the first half of the season.

This is one of the reasons why the Red Devils are favourites on Sunday afternoon. Ahead of the EFL Cup final between Manchester United and Newcastle, betting on the success of the English record champions brings a 2.20 at the top.

But since there is always a certain risk involved in placing a bet on the three-way market in a title match, we try to explain several conceivable approaches in more detail below. For example, in the match Manchester United vs. Newcastle, it is probably a good idea to make a prediction on a few goals in regulation time.

The Magpies in particular need a concentrated defensive performance to win a major title on the island for the first time in almost 70 years. The last time Newcastle won the FA Cup was in 1955. Sunday’s kick-off is at 5.30pm, around an hour after the highly anticipated London derby Tottenham v Chelsea.

Manchester United – Statistics & current form

All over the world, Manchester United fans are once again wearing the jersey of their favourite team with pride and a broad chest. After many years of gloom and sporting mediocrity, Erik ten Hag has managed to restore calm and lead the world club back to footballing glory.

The highlight of this bravura development was the 2-1 home victory over FC Barcelona in the Europa League on Thursday evening, which secured the club’s place in the last 16. Almost more important than the leap into the Top 16, however, was the performance against another European heavyweight. The Red Devils should definitely not lack confidence on Sunday.

With outstanding Rashford to title win

The recent consistently good results at league level also ensure this. Ten points have been picked up in the last four Premier League games. Eight of the last eleven matches in England’s best division were also victorious. Third in the table, they are just three points behind city rivals Manchester City and five points behind leaders Arsenal.

The road to the EFL Cup Final also went almost without complications. All five matches were won by at least two goals. The only two goals conceded came in the opening match against Aston Villa (4:2). After that, there were four victories, including a clean sheet. In general, it should be noted that in 18 out of 24 league games and in four out of five Carabao Cup games the bet on the under 3.5 would have gone through.

We are therefore not averse to combining the odds between Manchester United and Newcastle for what we see as a likely title win for Marcus Rashford and Co. with a maximum of three goals after regular playing time. Speaking of Rashford, the 25-year-old continues to be in outstanding form, scoring in nine of his last ten Premier League games and also marking five goals in five League Cup matches. So it is quite possible that the international will also be one of the main players in the final.

Predicted Manchester United line-up:
De Gea; Wan-Bissaka, Varane, Martinez, Shaw; Casemiro, Fred; Antony, Fernandes, Sancho; Rashford

Last matches played by Manchester United:

Europa League Final Stage
24/02/2023 – Manchester United 2 – 1 FC Barcelona

Premier League
19/02/2023 – Manchester United 3 – 0 Leicester

Europa League Final Stage
17/02/2023 – FC Barcelona 2 – 2 Manchester United

Premier League
12/02/2023 – Leeds 0 – 2 Manchester United

09/02/2023 – Manchester United 2 – 2 Leeds

Newcastle – Statistics & current form

Newcastle United had more problems on their way to this final at Wembley. The Magpies even had to go to penalties against league rivals Crystal Palace in the third round. Four of the other five victories came by exactly one goal margins. Similar to Man Utd, the traditional club from the north of the country was particularly convincing defensively. Two goals conceded in as many as six cup games impressively underline this.

The penchant for compactness is not really surprising, however, as coach Eddie Howe’s team continues to be the measure of all things in the Premier League when it comes to keeping their own shop tight. With 15 goals conceded, the Black and Whites have by far the best defence in the world’s best national football league. By comparison, Arsenal have the second-best defence with 23 goals conceded.

Newcastle’s defence must hold

Only in five of 23 NUFC league games did Arsenal score more than three goals. In 16 cases, a bet on the under 2.5 would even have paid off, including in the most recent seven Premier League matches, in which the four-time English champions, who have slipped to fifth place, also failed to score four times.

As a result, the Magpies have not been able to win any of their last four league games. In the previous week, they even suffered only their second defeat of the season – both, incidentally, against Kloppo’s Reds.

If the club from the northernmost city in the country, which is now under Saudi Arabian ownership, does not manage to return to its old form at the weekend, the betting odds imply that the Red Devils are the favourites between Manchester United and Newcastle. However, the longer the score remains 0-0 and the more compact and faultless the “Toon” defence is, the greater the chances of a surprise win.

Predicted Newcastle line-up:
Karius; Trippier, Schar, Botman, Burn; Longstaff, Guimaraes, Joelinton; Almiron, Wilson, Saint-Maximin

Last matches played by Newcastle:

Premier League
19/02/2023 – Newcastle 0 – 2 Liverpool FC

12/02/2023 – Bournemouth 1 – 1 Newcastle

05/02/2023 – Newcastle 1 – 1 West Ham

Carabao Cup
01/02/2023 – Newcastle 2 – 1 Southampton

25/01/2023 – Southampton 0 – 1 Newcastle

Manchester United – Newcastle Direct comparison / H2H record

The only head-to-head clash this season ended in a goalless draw in the PL first round. Otherwise, however, Manchester United have a pretty clear lead in the head-to-head record. Both in terms of history and in the most recent duels. Four of the past six PL meetings, for example, have gone to the Red Devils. The last time Newcastle beat the record champions was in 2019.

This coming Sunday, however, it is a cup final with different omens, with all three previous finals between these traditional clubs (1x FA Cup, 2x Community Shield) also bringing a better end for Manchester United.

Manchester United – Newcastle Tip

The first title in England will be awarded this weekend. At Wembley Stadium, Manchester United and Newcastle duel for the League Cup trophy. Throughout the course of the competition, this cup is quite readily smiled upon by the heavily-loaded top teams, yet prestigious silverware and an appealing addition to their own letterhead is at stake. We therefore expect the best possible line-ups on both sides.

Based on recent impressions, the record champions are certainly the favourites. The team of coach Erik ten Hag is in a promising chasing position in the league behind Arsenal and Manchester City, eliminated the great FC Barcelona from the Europa League on Thursday night and also laid down a picture-perfect path to this final.

The Magpies, on the other hand, have been on a bit of a tear of late, going winless in the Premier League four times in a row and failing to score in four of their last seven matches in the top flight. Only if the Howe team has a good day defensively, they might be able to celebrate their first title win since 1955 (!)

However, we have decided to offer the combined tip between Manchester United and Newcastle on the Red Devils winning the title and a maximum of three goals after regulation time.