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Papiss Cisse
Papiss Cisse's form will be key when Newcastle United host Manchester United on Wednesday  [Reuters].

Newcastle United welcome Manchester United to St James' Park for a Premier League clash on Wednesday.

Where to watch live

Kick-off is for 7.45pm GMT. Live TV coverage is available on BT Sport 1 and BT Sport 1 HD. Live updates are available on BBC Radio 5 Live.

Overview

The clash at St James' Park sees two teams striving for different things in the league, with Newcastle United looking for a top ten finish whereas Manchester United are in a race to finish in the top four.

Newcastle United are coming into this game following a much needed win against Aston Villa. It was a confidence boosting result for a team that was demolished 5-0 by Manchester City the week before.

John Carver's team have secured their place in the Premier League for at least one more season with the victory over Aston Villa and the manager is now targeting a win over the 20-time English champions, whom they have beaten only once in the last 11 meetings at St James' Park.

The Magpies boss has various injury concerns ahead of this match and will again depend on striker Papiss Cisse to provide the goals along with Ayoze Perez, who returns after a brief rest.

Angel di Maria
All eyes will yet again be on Angel di Maria's form, following the Argentine's struggles in recent months Getty

Meanwhile, Manchester United come into this game following a 2-0 win over Sunderland that kept their hopes of a top four finish alive after a shock loss to Swansea City the previous weekend. With all their rivals playing at the same time, it will be necessary to take home the three points to maintain fourth place in the league table.

Louis van Gaal is without Robin van Persie, but apart from the Dutchman the manager has a full squad to choose from for the trip to Tyneside. The manager will be glad to see skipper Wayne Rooney back amongst the goals after going eight games without finding the back of the net.

Southampton are keeping the pressure on the bigger teams in the race for a place in the Champions League next season, and following their win on Tuesday, all the other teams in contention will hope for three points in Wednesday's round of fixtures.

What Managers Say

John Carver: "We looked at their record away from home and it's not great. They have some super players going forward but they are vulnerable in certain areas and hopefully we can exploit that."

Louis van Gaal: "Newcastle always play at a very high rhythm, exerting a lot of energy. They want to play football and I like that. Their fans always get behind the team so I'm expecting a very tough game."

Betting odds (888sport.com)

  • Newcastle win: 3
  • Draw: 27/11
  • Manchester United win: 1

Team news

Newcastle United

  • Injured: Siem de Jong, Cheick Tiote, Remy Cabella, Paul Dummett, Steven Taylor
  • Doubtful: Haidara
  • Suspended: Colback

Possible XI: Krul; Janmaat, Coloccini, Williamson, Taylor; Abeid, Sissoko; Ameobi, Perez, Obertan; Cisse.

Manchester United

  • Injured: Robin van Persie (ankle)
  • Doubtful: Carrick (muscle)
  • Suspended: N/A

Possible XI: De Gea; Valencia, Smalling, Rojo, Shaw; Blind, Herrera; Young, Rooney, Di Maria; Falcao.

Manchester United FC Louis van Gaal Wayne Rooney Newcastle united