King of Stats – all the numbers as Man Utd aim to end Newcastle jinx

Newcastle can actually count Man Utd among the favoured opposition in recent seasons, with Alan Pardew still to taste defeat in his four games against the Red Devils as Toon boss.

Below are all of the numbers that may help punters win some money ahead of the clash at the Sports Direct Arena.

• 2 – Only two players have scored away Premier League hat-tricks against Newcastle and both of these were midfielders – Paul Scholes and Somen Tchoyi. Shinji Kagawa was rested in midweek and is 80/1 to bag a treble at the Sports Direct Arena.

• 2 – Newcastle have only twice won the opening Premier League meeting between the pair in 18 seasons and on each occasion a central defender has been among their scorers. Mike Williamson is 14/1 to score at any time in the 90 minutes for Newcastle here.

• 2 – Man Utd have never scored more than twice against a team managed by Alan Pardew in six previous attempts. This run is expected to continue as it is 1/4 that they score under 2.5 goals this time.

• 2 – Only Demba Ba and Hatem Ben Arfa have scored league goals for Newcastle so far this season, in comparison to seven players from Man Utd. With Newcastle more regularly scoring first in this fixture, Ben Arfa may be a big price at 12/1 to help himself to the opener.

• 3 – Only three times in the last 20 Premier League showdowns has there not been a goal scored in the first half and two of these ended up goalless. For goals to be scored in both halves here is 8/13, while 12/1 is the price for a 0-0 stalemate.

• 3 – Demba Ba has scored in both of his Newcastle appearances against Man Utd, while Robin Van Persie has five goals in as many starts against the Toon. Throw in that Wayne Rooney has never scored more against any other club than Newcastle and a goal-fest is on the cards. Over 3.5 goals can be backed here at 2/1.

• 5 – Manchester United have fallen behind in five top-flight games already this season and never gone four fixtures without a win against Newcastle in the Premier League era. 9/1 is the price that Man Utd fall behind but still claim the three points.

• 6 – Manchester United have not scored on their last two league trips to Newcastle, but netted more in the second half than the first in six of their previous eight visits. It is 5/4 that the Red Devils score more after half-time this season.

All odds and markets accurate as of publication’s time and date