Paul Merson expects Manchester United to lose when they face Newcastle at St James’ Park on Sunday evening.

Writing in his column for Sportskeeda, Merson said the Red Devils may try to keep things tight at the back, but he believes the home side will ultimately come out on top:

“Manchester United will frustrate Newcastle, but I still think the Magpies will win this game. Even though United have shown signs of improvement under Ruben Amorim, I don’t think they have it in them to get a win here.”

With Newcastle having not lost at home since being beaten by Fulham two and a half months ago, it is hard to see Amorim’s men getting a result.

What score is Merson predicting?

The Sky Sports pundit has gone with a 2-0 victory to the Magpies, which would be a disappointing scoreline for fans but not surprising.

While the Red Devils have been pretty decent defensively away from Old Trafford, they have struggled to score goals (just 16 in 15 games) so they will be underdogs heading into this match, especially given the circumstances.

United could be tempted to rest players

With the second leg of the Europa League quarter-final coming up against Lyon, and with nothing to play for in the Premier League, there is an argument for Amorim to rotate his squad for the trip to St James’ Park.

Of course, with six players on the sidelines due to injuries, there only so many changes that can be made but the game could allow the likes of Kobbie Mainoo, Mason Mount and even Luke Shaw to get more minutes into their legs.

There are also reports that Amorim is tempted to drop Andre Onana, after his mistakes on Thursday night, so we shall have to wait and see if Altay Bayindir comes in to take his place.

Click here to read our predicted starting lineup for the match against Newcastle