By Betsefy
Cristiano Ronaldo will be hoping to keep hold of his spot in the starting XI for Manchester United‘s Premier League clash with Newcastle United on Sunday afternoon.
The 37-year-old came off the bench to score his first league goal of the campaign in the 2-1 victory at Everton last weekend, and the strike proved to be his 700th in club football.
Ronaldo then played the full 90 minutes of Thursday’s Europa League contest against Omonia, with Scott McTominay coming off the bench to win it for the home side.
Anthony Martial‘s fitness remains unclear ahead of the clash with Newcastle, which could lead to Ronaldo again starting in the final third of the field alongside Marcus Rashford and Antony.
With that in mind, Sports Mole takes a look at how Ronaldo has performed against the Magpies throughout his illustrious career.
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Ronaldo has faced Newcastle on 13 occasions during his professional career, with all 13 coming during his two separate spells at Man United, and he boasts a record of 11 wins and two draws against them.
The Portugal international has found the back of the net on eight occasions against the Magpies, in addition to providing four assists, with seven of those goals and two of the assists coming in the Premier League.
Ronaldo has also faced Newcastle on one occasion in the FA Cup, scoring once and providing two assists in a 4-1 victory for the 20-time English champions in the semi-finals of the 2004-05 competition.
The fact that the forward has never lost to the Magpies should stand him in good stead for this weekend, and he could make a contribution off the bench if he is not in the XI on Sunday.
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Ronaldo’s first Premier League game against Newcastle was actually his second-ever league fixture for the Red Devils, coming off the bench in a 2-1 victory at St James’ Park in 2003.
The attacker then made his second debut for Man United against Newcastle last season, scoring twice in a 4-1 victory at Old Trafford.
Ronaldo also played the full 90 minutes of his team’s 1-1 draw with the Magpies in the Premier League in December, with Edinson Cavani cancelling out an opener from Allan Saint-Maximin.
Arguably, the forward’s best-ever performance against Newcastle came at Old Trafford during the 2007-08 campaign, when he scored a hat trick in a 6-0 success at Old Trafford, while he also netted twice at St James’ Park in a 2-1 victory that particular season.
