The Magpies travel to Old Trafford on the back of successive defeats in the Premier League, losing to both Burnley and AFC Bournemouth in the week leading up to the international break.
The Red Devils were also defeated in their last outing – 1-0 at Chelsea – but, so far this season, José Mourinho’s side have won all eight of their games on their own turf, across three different competitions.
In addition, they have yet to concede a Premier League goal at Old Trafford this term, and Benítez acknowledged that Newcastle will have to be just as stubborn themselves if they are to take anything from the televised clash.
“They have so much quality in the team. They keep the ball, they pass the ball, they create chances, they score goals and they don’t concede too much,” he said. “We have to be strong in defence and when we regain the ball, try and create something on the counter attack.
“They have a team that can compete in every competition. And normally, the fans are demanding that they have to be at the top, and they have to win the Premier League, the Champions League, the FA Cup and the Carabao Cup – everything. But, it is normal in a club that has this potential. I think, just yesterday, we were talking about the profit they have had already. It is always massive and they have to compete for everything.
“In terms of points, I would have been happy winning against Bournemouth and maybe not winning against Manchester United. But, now that we have lost to Bournemouth, we will try to win against Manchester United. We know it is difficult, because they are a good team and they have very good players, so we will have to do almost everything right, perfect, to make sure we can get three points.”
Christian Atsu and Jamaal Lascelles, who both started United’s defeat to the Cherries a fortnight ago, will sit out tomorrow’s clash.
Benítez also gave an update on the progress of another sidelined pair, defender Paul Dummett and midfielder Mikel Merino, the former having been out since the opening day of the season.
“Dummett is training with the team. He is getting closer. Merino has been training with one member of our staff in Spain and will come back either today or tomorrow, so he will be around and hopefully he can start training without pain,” the Magpies’ boss said.
“Lascelles and Atsu will not be available tomorrow. Atsu will be out for at least a couple of weeks. We will see how he is progressing because he will be having treatment. We will see how Jamaal feels next week and maybe he will be closer.”
