As the Premier League returns after the recent international break, Manchester United welcome Steve Bruce's Newcastle United to Old Trafford.

With club legend Cristiano Ronaldo now added to the ranks, the United faithful are well within their rights to get excited ahead of Saturday's clash.

There is no doubt whatsoever that Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's side have strengthened massively this summer and anything less than three points against The Magpies would be seen as an underachievement.

However, The Reds will have to be at their best if they want to come away with with the win as they look to build on their impressive form thus far – a run that has seen them pick up seven points out of a possible nine.

  • Team news

The home side will be without several first-team players for the game on Saturday afternoon.

Marcus Rashford, Dean Henderson, and Alex Telles will definitely not feature, but there is hope that Scott McTominay and Jadon Sancho could play after recent knocks.

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When asked about the absentees, Solskjaer told the press:

"They’re all training. Dean [Henderson] has not got the after-effects of the tiredness anymore so that’s very positive. [Alex] Telles is not 100 per cent, he’ll be still a few weeks."

"Scott [McTominay] has recovered very quickly from the operation, so if he’s going to play or not, I’m not sure, but probably not, depending on who we’ve got available as well, who we can use."

"Jadon [Sancho] has come back in with a minor knock but he’s trained the last couple of days. He’s disappointed he couldn’t play for England but determined to be fit and he’s available. So that’s a positive."

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"Cristiano has trained all week so he’s available. The international break, we didn’t get anyone injured. Luke [Shaw], Harry [Maguire] and Victor [Lindelof] played late on Wednesday night so they’ve not had a lot of recovery but they will be available I think."

It looks like United will also be without Fred after the Brazilian FA decided to ban their players who didn't attend international duty due to Brazil being a red-list country.

However, Solskjaer is still hopeful that they may change their mind and thus make Fred available for selection.

Predicted Lineups:

Manchester United: De Gea, Maguire, Varane, Shaw, van de beek, Pogba, Fernandes, Greenwood, Sancho, Cavani

Newcastle United: Woodman, Ritchie, Fernandez, Lascelles, Schar, Murphy, Longstaff, Hayden, Willock, Saint-Maximin, Wilson

  • Ones to watch:

Saturday's game may well be the first time that Ronaldo is introduced back to the United faithful after 12 years away.

It will have been 4,490 days since the Portuguese last played for United, and what better way for Ronaldo to make his second debut for the club than against the side he scored his only Premier League hat-trick against.

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There were major doubts over whether Ronaldo would play on Saturday following his move from Juventus after he was denied ‘elite athlete’ exemption, meaning he had to self-isolate for five days before joining his teammates.

Having only started training on Tuesday, it remained unclear whether Solskjaer would start the former Real Madrid man, but these doubts have faded away quickly.

It is yet to be seen if Ronaldo will start on Saturday, but Solskjaer has said that he will definitely have a part to play on Saturday.

  • Head to head:

United and Newcastle have played against each other 171 times in total, with The Red Devils winning 89 of those matches, drawing 39 times, and Newcastle being victorious on 43 occasions.

The last time The Magpies won at Old Trafford was in December 2013 thanks to a Yohan Cabaye strike, with the home side winning the last six games between the sides at the Theatre of Dreams.

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Solskjaer's team have picked up seven points so far this season, winning two games and drawing one, whilst Newcastle only have one point to their name after losing twice and drawing once.

Prediction:

Manchester United 2 - 0 Newcastle United.

How to watch:

The 15:00 BST game will not be broadcast live on British television, but match highlights can be seen via Match of the Day at 22:40 BST.

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