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Damage control will be Manchester United's objective when they visit Newcastle on Wednesday night stinging from their humiliation at home to Blackburn last weekend.
Sir Alex Ferguson's men saw their Premier League title bid take a surprise blow on New Year's Eve when they were beaten 3-2 at Old Trafford by struggling Rovers. That slip allowed local rivals Manchester Cityto reinstate their lead at the top of the table after they thrashed Liverpool 3-0 on Tuesday night.
The Red Devils could close the gap again with the right result on Tyneside and will be boosted by the return of talismanic striker Wayne Rooney, who was axed for the Blackburn defeat along with Darren Gibson after reportedly angering Ferguson by his performance in training after a Boxing Day night out. Rooney has scored nine goals in 13 Premier League games against the Magpies and could help get the reigning champions back on track after Saturday's setback marked their first league loss since they were memorably demolished 6-1 at home to City back in October.
The Magpies will also be keen to steady their campaign after losing 3-1 at Liverpool last time out, leaving them with just one win from eight encounters. After a storming start to the season the Toon's season has hit a definite rough patch, with injuries and tough fixtures prompting their form to slide.
Despite losing five of their last eight, Alan Pardew's men remain a respectable seventh in the standings and could cut the gap on nearest rivals Liverpool to just a point with a giant-killing at St James' Park. Newcastle have not beaten the visitors on home turf since September 2001, but will be hoping to capitalize on a wounded Red Devils side and take something from the clash.
Pardew will make a late check on Gabriel Obertan ahead of Wednesday's match, with the former Manchester United midfielder expected to recover from an infected toe and be available. The manager otherwise has no fresh injury problems, with Danny Guthrie (groin) and Peter Lovenkrands (calf) close to returns.
Steven Taylor (Achilles) and Sylvain Marveaux remain on the long-term casualty list. The returning Rooney could be joined by Chris Smalling (tonsillitis) and Rio Ferdinand(back) if they recover in time for the trip to the North East.
If the Red Devils duo are fit it would provide a welcome boost to Ferguson's injury-ravaged squad as they look to keep pace with leaders City. The visitors remain without a host of long-term absentees including captain Nemanja Vidic (knee) and key midfielder Tom Cleverley (ankle).
Possible starting XIs:
Newcastle: Krul, Simpson, Williamson, Coloccini, Santon, Jonas, Tiote, Cabaye, R Taylor, Ameobi, Ba.
Man United: De Gea, Evra, Smalling, Jones, Rafael, Park, Carrick, Valencia, Nani, Rooney, Berbatov.
The Red Devils could close the gap again with the right result on Tyneside and will be boosted by the return of talismanic striker Wayne Rooney, who was axed for the Blackburn defeat along with Darren Gibson after reportedly angering Ferguson by his performance in training after a Boxing Day night out. Rooney has scored nine goals in 13 Premier League games against the Magpies and could help get the reigning champions back on track after Saturday's setback marked their first league loss since they were memorably demolished 6-1 at home to City back in October.
The Magpies will also be keen to steady their campaign after losing 3-1 at Liverpool last time out, leaving them with just one win from eight encounters. After a storming start to the season the Toon's season has hit a definite rough patch, with injuries and tough fixtures prompting their form to slide.
Despite losing five of their last eight, Alan Pardew's men remain a respectable seventh in the standings and could cut the gap on nearest rivals Liverpool to just a point with a giant-killing at St James' Park. Newcastle have not beaten the visitors on home turf since September 2001, but will be hoping to capitalize on a wounded Red Devils side and take something from the clash.
Pardew will make a late check on Gabriel Obertan ahead of Wednesday's match, with the former Manchester United midfielder expected to recover from an infected toe and be available. The manager otherwise has no fresh injury problems, with Danny Guthrie (groin) and Peter Lovenkrands (calf) close to returns.
Steven Taylor (Achilles) and Sylvain Marveaux remain on the long-term casualty list. The returning Rooney could be joined by Chris Smalling (tonsillitis) and Rio Ferdinand(back) if they recover in time for the trip to the North East.
If the Red Devils duo are fit it would provide a welcome boost to Ferguson's injury-ravaged squad as they look to keep pace with leaders City. The visitors remain without a host of long-term absentees including captain Nemanja Vidic (knee) and key midfielder Tom Cleverley (ankle).
Possible starting XIs:
Newcastle: Krul, Simpson, Williamson, Coloccini, Santon, Jonas, Tiote, Cabaye, R Taylor, Ameobi, Ba.
Man United: De Gea, Evra, Smalling, Jones, Rafael, Park, Carrick, Valencia, Nani, Rooney, Berbatov.
