MX23RW : Wednesday, February 12 01:50:55| >> :120:36542:36542:

Chris Smalling urges Manchester United to "set the benchmark"

Manchester United defender Chris Smalling wants his team to capitalise on the fact that they play Newcastle United early on Saturday afternoon.

Chris Smalling has encouraged his Manchester United teammates to make the most of the fact that they play before any of their Premier League rivals for the third game running this weekend.

The Red Devils faced both Tottenham Hotspur and Aston Villa in early Premier League kickoffs, both of which ended in 1-0 victories for Louis van Gaal's side.

With Newcastle United next up at Old Trafford on Saturday, centre-back Smalling has insisted that the Red Devils must once again take advantage of playing first.

"We must continue our good start. It is another home game and we have to assert ourselves early on," he told MUTV.

"It is good that we again get to be in the first game that plays and, hopefully, set the benchmark for the weekend."

The visiting Magpies have won at Old Trafford just once since 1972.

ID:240377: cacheID:240377:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:restore:1723:
Written by
Liam Apicella
No Data Analysis info
Restore Data
Share this article now:
The Manchester United team pose during the UEFA Champions League Qualifying Round Play Off First Leg match between Manchester United and Club Brugge at Old Trafford on August 18, 2015
Read Next:
Man United 3-1 Brugge: Five talking points
>
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Liverpool23175156213556
2Arsenal24148249222750
3Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest24145540271347
4Chelsea24127547311643
5Manchester CityMan City24125748351341
6Newcastle UnitedNewcastle24125742291341
7Bournemouth24117641281340
8Aston Villa2410773437-337
9Fulham249963632436
10Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton2481063538-334
11Brentford2494114242031
12Crystal Palace247982830-230
13Manchester UnitedMan Utd2485112834-629
14Tottenham HotspurSpurs24831348371127
15West Ham UnitedWest Ham2476112946-1727
16Everton236892328-526
17Wolverhampton WanderersWolves2454153452-1819
18Leicester CityLeicester2445152553-2817
19Ipswich TownIpswich2437142249-2716
20Southampton2423191854-369


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!