Home of football statistics and historyManchester City are set to headline Saturday’s Premier League action as they travel to St. James’ Park to take on Newcastle United.
City are looking to temporarily move to within one point of league leaders Arsenal, and their fantastic record against Newcastle suggests they could pile the misery on Eddie Howe’s side this weekend.
According to MY sports betting sites and pretty much every other outlet tracking the odds, City are the only team with a realistic chance of overtaking Arsenal in the Premier League title race – and games like these will be key if they want to take the race into the second half of the season.
Match preview
Newcastle went into November’s international break mulling over a shocking 3-1 defeat against Brentford.
The Magpies, who recently extended their partnership with luxury retail icon Fenwick, were sent back to the drawing board after back-to-back Premier League defeats on the road.
Interestingly, they drew first blood against Brentford through a first-half strike from Harvey Barnes.
However, the Bees turned the game on its head in the second half through Kevin Schade’s 56th-minute effort and a brace from Igor Thiago.
After finishing in the top five last season, Newcastle have managed just three wins from their opening 11 Premier League games (D3, L5), leaving them 14th in the table.
They’re uncomfortably close to the relegation zone and seven points behind rivals Sunderland in fourth.
Despite their awful run of form, Howe is still enjoying the backing of the club hierarchy.
The English manager has tried to rally his troops ahead of a difficult run of fixtures, and a return to home ground could offer some reprieve.
Newcastle have been reliable at home, winning their last five matches in all competitions. Their most recent league outing on Tyneside brought a 2-1 win over Fulham.
Nevertheless, they will face their strongest test yet, considering City have dominated this fixture over the years. Newcastle have won just one of their last 35 league meetings with City (D6, L28).
Meanwhile, City started the season with an unexpected wobble, losing two of their opening three league games (W1). But that uncertain start now feels like a footnote.
Pep Guardiola’s team have rediscovered their rhythm, winning 11 of their last 14 matches across all competitions and looking increasingly like the dominant force they aim to be.
They demolished Liverpool 3-0 in Guardiola’s 1,000th match as a manager, sending a clear message to the rest of the division that they’re ready to reclaim their place at the summit.
That win pushed them up to second in the table and narrowed the gap on Arsenal to four points.
The Etihad Stadium has been near-impenetrable so far, with City winning five of their six home games (L1). But they’ve struggled to replicate that form on the road.
They can only boast of two wins from five away games (D1, L2), most recently losing 1-0 to Aston Villa.
However, City’s record against Newcastle will give them tons of confidence ahead of this weekend’s contest.
They have won 12 away league games against Newcastle and scored in each of their last 33 meetings.
Team News
Newcastle will be without a number of key players for the game against City. Dan Burn will miss out due to a suspension, while Yoane Wissa remains unavailable.
Nick Pope and Joelinton picked up knocks before the international break and could also miss out, while Anthony Gordon, William Osula, and Tino Livramento will need to pass a late fitness test.
Man City have issues of their own with Mateo Kovacic out for the foreseeable future and Rodri still a doubt. Other than those two, Guardiola has a fully fit squad to choose from this weekend.
Newcastle United potential starting line-up;
(4-3-3): Nick Pope; Trippier, Malick Thiaw, Sven Botman, Lewis Hall; Sandro Tonali, Bruno Guimaraes, Joelinton; Jacob Murphy, Nick Woltemade, Anthony Gordon.
Manchester City potential starting line-up;
(4-1-4-1): Gianluigi Donnarumma; Matheus Nunes, Ruben Dias, Josko Gvardiol, Nico O’Reilly; Nico Gonzalez; Bernardo Silva, Rayan Cherki, Phil Foden, Jeremy Doku; Erling Braut Haaland.
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