Potentially so.
Ruben Amorim and Man Utd continue their away journeys as after a trip to France, they will travel to St James' Park to take on the mightily impressive Toon Army: Newcastle.
I say it's a free hit because the league is kind of a waste and our focus is trying to get through to the semi finals of the Europa League next Thursday.
We are also heavy underdogs and even if we were full strength, playing brilliant football and didn't have other priorities, Newcastle would be one tough nut to crack.
In our current state though, should we even bother showing up?
Predicted Lineup
I do suspect that Amorim will rotate the side after a quick turnaround from France and also with the second leg in mind. There are also a decent amount of players who've returned which gives him more reason to make some changes.
The usual suspects like Onana, Mazraoui, Bruno and Dalot will be there and if De Ligt is back, I'm sure he would slot in in the centre of the back three. If not, then it will continue to be Maguire.
I've also selected Lindelof as the LCB to give Yoro a break ahead of the return leg.
As you can see, I've left Dorgu out to bring in Shaw. Yes the Luke Shaw to come in at LWB. Since he's been in the squad recently, I see no reason why he can't play even if it's just for a half of football. Dorgu can get a rest and be fresh for next Thursday.
I'm not sure how ready Casemiro will be for this game so soon after Lyon and even if he can play, there's no need to risk him (at least from the start) which is why I've gone for Bruno and Ugarte to be the midfield duo.
With the possible returns of Mainoo and Collyer, maybe there's a chance that they will play. However, with how watchful Amorim has been with returning players, I doubt he'll risk them.
In the attack, Hojlund to play as striker with Garnacho and Mount behind him, the Englishman starting a game for the first time since the Derby at the Etihad in December.
This type of lineup allows the manager to rest and rotate while checking how the bench options and returnees perform.
Approach
Probably what we've seen against most top sides especially away from home. Newcastle do like to allow the opponent as much of the ball as themselves as Eddie Howe's team average 50% possession (which is just 3% fewer than United) but as they are at home and we suck, they might take the initiative.
What has worked for Amorim is being solid defensively. A lot of the recent performances have been built on a strong back line as we've conceded just 4 goals in our last five games in the league as well as kept 2 clean sheets.
This has been regardless of who has been a part of that defense as other than Onana and Mazraoui, all of Yoro, De Ligt and Maguire have missed certain periods. This will have given Amorim the reassurance that his defenders aren't a problem.
Who isn't a problem as well is Casemiro. The Brazilian has seen a revival of sorts in terms of his performances and has become one of our more important players in recent weeks.
In fact, the 33 year old Brazilian was so impressive in the derby that he won 11/11 tackles and was the first United player to do so since Patrice Evra in the 07/08 season against Portsmouth.
Ugarte has been injured at times and also has lost a bit of form. Thanks to how Casemiro has played though, we have been solid in midfield as well. Him along with that back three which turns into a back five whenever the wing-backs drop deeper, have made it difficult for oppositions to break us down.
It feels like the amount of chances but more importantly the type of chances we're conceding has gotten better. We don't seem to be so shaky at the back.
The one area that we all know that needs major improvement is up front. United haven't scored in their last two in the league. If Bruno is not scoring, we're struggling for goals. In this year in the PL, our strikers have only scored 1 goal between them. That was Hojlund's strike (which came after 20 games) in the recent 3-0 win over Leicester.
Something has to change up top.
Form
Let's be real, we have no form. We've had no form all season and we're still yet to win back-to-back league games.
We're in matchweek 32.
People were bored with the derby but while it was 0-0, there were still more good parts about our game than not. A draw against the champions (even one as bad as them) is still a good result.
If anything, we were disappointed not to win given the chances we had. So while people (ahem Gary Neville) can be critical of the game, I think it was another step in the right direction as it showed progress under Amorim.
That point also put us back into 13th which isn't anything to write home about although it is better than being lower 🤷♂️.
Thanks to the two recent clean sheets, Onana has moved onto 9 putting him joint-3rd in that table. Another indication of how good we've been defensively.
Away from Old Trafford and United's form is woeful. 14th in the away table, we've managed just 4 wins all campaign on our travels. We've drawn 5 and lost 6, the latest of which came in our last away game at Forest.
Interestingly though, 5 of those 9 clean sheets have come on the road. This tells us that maybe United do opt for that more defensive approach permitting the home side to take the initiative and try and break us down.
However, we've only scored 16 with only West Ham, Everton, Leicester and Southampton having scored fewer away from home. The flip side is that the 16 we've let in is only bettered by Arsenal and Palace.
Very contrasting indeed.
Newcastle
The Toon on the other hand are having another fantastic season under Eddie Howe.
Having recently won the Carabao Cup over Liverpool, which was their first trophy in 70 years, Newcastle are on an absolute high.
They are also high in the table as they sit 5th which is good enough to qualify for the Champions League thanks to England's strong UEFA coefficient ranking.
The Magpies have 16 wins, 5 draws and 9 losses in their 30 matches (they have a game in hand) with 52 scored and 39 conceded giving them a total of 53 points. Howe's side are also one of the league's in form teams as they've won 4 of their last 5. In this time, they've scored 10 while letting in 6 and keeping 2 clean sheets.
Their record against the big six isn't the worst with 4 wins, 2 draws and 3 losses. Newcastle scored 12 but conceded 14, 7 of which came in their last two against Man City and Liverpool.
At St James' Park, their record is pretty solid, as expected. 7th in the home table, the toon army have 8 wins, 2 draws and 4 losses which is a little bit of a surprise to me as I thought it would be fewer.
Alexander Isak is also in form this year as he is 3rd in the top scorers charts with 20 goals. Newcaslte have also kept 10 clean sheets which would put them 3rd in that table, one spot higher than United.
Recent Meetings
It has been one way traffic over the past couple of seasons.
In the last five in all competitions, United have won just once whereas Newcastle won the other four. That sole win for us came towards the end of last season when a 3-2 triumph saw us end the campaign strongly.
In fact, in the last eight meetings overall, United have just 2 wins, the other being in the 22/23 Carabao Cup final. There were also 2 draws and 6 wins for Newcastle. The Toon have also managed to keep five clean sheets in these eight matches while scoring 9 and conceding 6.
Prediction
As we know, St James' Park will be rocking which will make it difficult for United. We will definitely struggle and no matter the situation, it is always a tough place to go to.
We also have other priorities with focus being on that second leg against Lyon. I don't actually have a score prediciton but I do know that Newcastle will win.
Alexander Isak: Image credit: Getty Images via Goal
Andre Onana: Image via Manchester United official X (@ManUtd)