{"id":298160,"date":"2023-12-02T12:24:05","date_gmt":"2023-12-02T12:24:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sportslifetale.com\/?p=298160"},"modified":"2023-12-02T12:24:05","modified_gmt":"2023-12-02T12:24:05","slug":"man-united-forced-to-take-three-hour-bus-journey-to-newcastle","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sportslifetale.com\/soccer\/man-united-forced-to-take-three-hour-bus-journey-to-newcastle\/","title":{"rendered":"Man United forced to take three-hour bus journey to Newcastle"},"content":{"rendered":"
Manchester United’s preparations for Saturday night’s Premier League fixture at Newcastle United were disrupted when their flight was cancelled.<\/p>\n
Erik ten Hag’s team were due to fly to the north-east from Manchester Airport at 11am on Saturday morning.<\/p>\n
But when the players arrived at the airport to drop their cars off at 10am, they were told their flight was cancelled due to the weather and technical difficulties.<\/p>\n
They will now make a three-hour journey by coach to St James’ Park for the 8pm kick-off. The flight time would have been around 30 minutes.<\/p>\n
Pictures showed Ten Hag and his players boarding the bus with ice visible on the ground.<\/p>\n
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Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag and striker Rasmus Hojlund prepare to board the team bus after their flight to Newcastle was cancelled on Saturday morning<\/p>\n
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United players Victor Lindelof (left) and Marcus Rashford (right) pictured at the airport<\/p>\n
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Instead of the half-hour flight, Man United will now take a three-hour bus journey to Tyneside<\/p>\n
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A chilly night is in store at St James’ Park with sub-zero temperatures forecast<\/p>\n
Your browser does not support iframes.<\/p>\n
Temperatures at Manchester Airport were barely above freezing on Saturday morning and are forecast to hover around -1C in Newcastle at kick-off as the United Kingdom is gripped by a cold snap.<\/p>\n
Man United are looking to recover from the disappointment of Wednesday’s 3-3 draw with Galatasaray in Istanbul which left their Champions League last-16 hopes dangling by a thread.<\/p>\n
But they are the form team in the Premier League, having won five of their last six matches to keep in touch with the top four.<\/p>\n
Seventh-placed Newcastle are just a point behind Man United in sixth and have top four ambitions of their own.<\/p>\n
They beat Ten Hag’s side 2-0 in the equivalent Premier League fixture last season and won 3-0 at Old Trafford in the Carabao Cup earlier in the current campaign.<\/p>\n
The match is being played in the later Saturday slot because both teams were involved in Champions League action in midweek, with Newcastle drawing 1-1 away to Paris Saint-Germain on Tuesday.<\/p>\n
Both teams have a number of players missing for Saturday night’s game.<\/p>\n
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Manchester United’s Champions League chances hang by a thread after their 3-3 draw with Galatasaray on Wednesday – with their fate out of their own hands ahead of matchday six<\/p>\n
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Erik ten Hag’s side are bottom of Group A and need favours from elsewhere to progress<\/p>\n
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Newcastle were moments away from a famous away victory over Paris Saint-Germain<\/p>\n
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Debate will rage over whether Tino Livramento should have been penalised for a handball after it ricocheted off his chest first<\/p>\n
Man United are without seven players – Tyrell Malacia, Casemiro, Lisandro Martinez, Jonny Evans, Christian Eriksen, Mason Mount and Amad Diallo – through injury, with Jadon Sancho still exiled from the first-team.<\/p>\n
Howe is without 10 players because of injury – Jacob Murphy, Dan Burn, Callum Wilson, Elliot Anderson, Sean Longstaff, Sven Botman, Joe Willock, Harvey Barnes, Javier Manquillo and Matt Targett – as well as the banned Sandro Tonali.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
‘We have experienced (tough atmospheres) in the last two weeks with Copenhagen, Everton and Galatasaray,’ Ten Hag told his club’s website\u00a0<\/p>\n
‘We are looking forward again, because that’s the best thing about football that you have such experiences and such challenges.<\/p>\n
‘That energises you as an individual and a team. We will be ready for that game.<\/p>\n
‘We have to play our best to get the points there. Of course, that’s the objective and we are in a great position.<\/p>\n
‘We are smelling the top four. We have to get there and (to do that) you have to win big games.’<\/p>\n
It’s All Kicking Off is an exciting new podcast from Mail Sport that promises a different take on Premier League football.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n It is available on MailOnline, Mail+, YouTube, Apple Music and Spotify.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Your browser does not support iframes.<\/p>\n