Eddie Howe believes there is no better opposition than Michael Carrick's Manchester United for his Newcastle United team to get their Premier League form back on track. 

Newcastle have slipped to 13th in the Premier League ahead of taking on the Red Devils on Wednesday following their 3-2 defeat to Everton last time out. 

Indeed, the Eagles have lost each of their last three Premier League home games, last losing more consecutively at St James' Park between August and October 2018 (five).

They have also conceded 23 home goals in the league in 2025-26, with only bottom club Wolves (30) and relegation-threatened West Ham (27) shipping more.

United, meanwhile, have been a team reborn since Carrick replaced Ruben Amorim back in January, with the Red Devils now third in the top-flight standings. 

Carrick has earned 23 points in nine league games as United manager (W7 D2 – including both spells), with United coming from behind to beat Crystal Palace on Sunday.

This is the joint-best start after nine games by any manager in the competition's history, alongside Ange Postecoglou (also 23 in first nine), with Howe acknowledging the difficulty awaiting his team, but also relishing the chance to get back to winning ways on home soil. 

"He has definitely tweaked things tactically. It looks like he has built a really good atmosphere there, and players will play better because of that," Howe told reporters.  

"He has been a real positive for them because you can see a real upturn in their general performances.

"It will be a great opportunity for us to rediscover our best form at home."

Their clash with United marks the start of a pivotal run for Howe's side, whose hopes of retaining their spot in Europe next season remain on a knife edge. 

Newcastle are four points behind Everton, who sit eighth, which could be enough to seal a spot in one of UEFA's competitions in 2026-27. 

They are given a 0.3% chance of taking fifth, while their hopes of finishing inside the top eight in the Premier League are rated at 15.6%. 

After the United clash, Newcastle take on Manchester City in the fifth round of the FA Cup this weekend, with the first leg of their Champions League round of 16 tie with Barcelona coming three days later. 

"They are all pivotal games. With these games, we have to try to be positive and relish them," Howe added.

"We can't play with any fear or with the thought of us not winning at home for a few games.

"We have to go and attack them. We have to play the games with our brains, not looking back and only looking forward."