here hasn't been much in the way of festive cheer on offer for Manchester United or opponents Newcastle United in the build up to their Boxing Day clash at Old Trafford.
The Red Devils' six-game winning run in the Premier League came to a shuddering halt last Saturday when they were held to a 1-1 draw by ten-man Aston Villa at Villa Park, despite Radamel Falcao cancelling out Christian Benteke's opener.
The Magpies didn't fare much better on Sunday when they lost the Tyne-Wear derby 1-0 at home to bitter rivals Sunderland via a last minute Adam Johnson goal.
Manchester United (9-5-3) manager Louis van Gaal received the equivalent of a lump of coal for Christmas when comments from legendary manager Sir Alex Ferguson, speaking in an interview for BT Sport, were broadly interpreted as a tip for a title charge come the New Year.
It was the sort of off-hand encouragement that weighed heavy on the shoulders of previous incumbent David Moyes, but the more experienced Van Gaal took his predecessor's remarks in his stride.
"You hope, because I know Sir Alex, that he shall support you," Van Gaal told the official club website. "When he is supporting you, because he is doing that not only this week but also other conferences he gave, he shows a lot of confidence and belief in me; that I need as a trainer coach, as a manager of Manchester United.
Van Gaal was quick to admit, however, that the burden of expectation that comes with the territory of following in Ferguson's footsteps was unavoidable.
"It's also a pressure because he believes in you, and it gives you that pressure that you have to give results," he said. "It is not so easy to win the Premier League matches."
Far from dwelling on the disappointment of Sunday's defeat, Magpies boss Alan Pardew will encourage his side to draw on the experience of their recent Premier League visits to Old Trafford.
Newcastle (6-5-6) have lost only once in their last three visits to the Theatre of Dreams in the league, falling 4-3 to a last minute Javier Hernandez goal on Boxing Day 2012.
The club ended a 41-year victory drought in the corresponding fixture last season thanks to a lone Yohan Cabaye strike.
"We've had good performances at Old Trafford in the last three," Pardew said in his weekly press conference. " We drew, we got beat in the last minute - which was a cracking game, 4-3 - then we won last year so we've done reasonably well there.
"One of the reasons is we've retained possession well and that's something you have to do because you can't turn possession over to Manchester United with the quality they've got up front."
Pardew has a significant injury list to work around if the Magpies are going to emulate last season's heroics.
A packed physio room at St James' Park is dealing with injuries to Robbie Elliot (hip), Tim Krul (ankle), Siem De Jong (thigh), Rolando Aarons (hamstring) and Davide Santon (knee), who are all unavailable to play at Old Trafford.
It wasn't all bad news for the Magpies, however, as midfielder Jonas Gutierrez completed 87 minutes of an Under-21 match this week. Gutierrez is looking at a possible return to the first team as soon as late January after his recovery from cancer.
Defender Chris Smalling is a doubt for Van Gaal, while Daley Blind (knee), Luke Shaw (ankle), Ander Herrera (knock) and Marouane Fellaini (illness) are all out.
The Red Devils have won 23 of their 40 matches against the Magpies since the inception of the Premier League, drawing 12 and losing five overall.
Normal service was resumed in the return fixture last season when a Juan Mata double and goals from Javier Hernandez and Adnan Januzaj sent the Reds on their way to a 4-0 stroll at St. James'
The Red Devils' six-game winning run in the Premier League came to a shuddering halt last Saturday when they were held to a 1-1 draw by ten-man Aston Villa at Villa Park, despite Radamel Falcao cancelling out Christian Benteke's opener.
The Magpies didn't fare much better on Sunday when they lost the Tyne-Wear derby 1-0 at home to bitter rivals Sunderland via a last minute Adam Johnson goal.
Manchester United (9-5-3) manager Louis van Gaal received the equivalent of a lump of coal for Christmas when comments from legendary manager Sir Alex Ferguson, speaking in an interview for BT Sport, were broadly interpreted as a tip for a title charge come the New Year.
It was the sort of off-hand encouragement that weighed heavy on the shoulders of previous incumbent David Moyes, but the more experienced Van Gaal took his predecessor's remarks in his stride.
"You hope, because I know Sir Alex, that he shall support you," Van Gaal told the official club website. "When he is supporting you, because he is doing that not only this week but also other conferences he gave, he shows a lot of confidence and belief in me; that I need as a trainer coach, as a manager of Manchester United.
Van Gaal was quick to admit, however, that the burden of expectation that comes with the territory of following in Ferguson's footsteps was unavoidable.
"It's also a pressure because he believes in you, and it gives you that pressure that you have to give results," he said. "It is not so easy to win the Premier League matches."
Far from dwelling on the disappointment of Sunday's defeat, Magpies boss Alan Pardew will encourage his side to draw on the experience of their recent Premier League visits to Old Trafford.
Newcastle (6-5-6) have lost only once in their last three visits to the Theatre of Dreams in the league, falling 4-3 to a last minute Javier Hernandez goal on Boxing Day 2012.
The club ended a 41-year victory drought in the corresponding fixture last season thanks to a lone Yohan Cabaye strike.
"We've had good performances at Old Trafford in the last three," Pardew said in his weekly press conference. " We drew, we got beat in the last minute - which was a cracking game, 4-3 - then we won last year so we've done reasonably well there.
"One of the reasons is we've retained possession well and that's something you have to do because you can't turn possession over to Manchester United with the quality they've got up front."
Pardew has a significant injury list to work around if the Magpies are going to emulate last season's heroics.
A packed physio room at St James' Park is dealing with injuries to Robbie Elliot (hip), Tim Krul (ankle), Siem De Jong (thigh), Rolando Aarons (hamstring) and Davide Santon (knee), who are all unavailable to play at Old Trafford.
It wasn't all bad news for the Magpies, however, as midfielder Jonas Gutierrez completed 87 minutes of an Under-21 match this week. Gutierrez is looking at a possible return to the first team as soon as late January after his recovery from cancer.
Defender Chris Smalling is a doubt for Van Gaal, while Daley Blind (knee), Luke Shaw (ankle), Ander Herrera (knock) and Marouane Fellaini (illness) are all out.
The Red Devils have won 23 of their 40 matches against the Magpies since the inception of the Premier League, drawing 12 and losing five overall.
Normal service was resumed in the return fixture last season when a Juan Mata double and goals from Javier Hernandez and Adnan Januzaj sent the Reds on their way to a 4-0 stroll at St. James'
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