Eddie Howe's side host Ruben Amorim's Red Devils at St. James' Park, bidding for a fifth competitive win in a row, and this will be the fourth time Kavanagh has officiated a fixture involving the Magpies this term.

The 39-year-old, who refereed last season's Carabao Cup final, took charge of United's 2-1 comeback win against Wolverhampton Wanderers in September and handed out six yellow cards at Molineux that afternoon, booking Magpies trio Dan Burn, Joelinton and Jacob Murphy.

A FIFA listed referee since 2019, Kavanagh was the man in the middle for United's 2-0 Carabao Cup victory against Chelsea in October and brandished a total of six yellow cards during the fourth round tie, booking Nick Pope, Fabian Schär, Sean Longstaff and Anthony Gordon.

Kavanagh also oversaw Newcastle's 2-1 home defeat against Fulham in February and handed out eight yellow cards in the Premier League encounter at St. James' Park, booking Burn, Sandro Tonali, Joelinton and Gordon.

2024/25 stats

Games (all competitions): 33

Yellow cards issued: 182

Red cards issued: 6

Assistants

Assistant referees: Lee Betts and Dan Cook

Fourth official: Sam Barrott

VAR: Peter Bankes

Assistant VAR: Tim Wood