Manchester City will hope to climb the table when they visit Newcastle United in the Premier League. These two teams are now separated by eleven points in the standings. The Citizens are in third place and the Magpies are six spots below in ninth.
Preview (Newcastle United vs. Manchester City)
Following three straight losses at the end of 2023 and a 4-2 away loss to Liverpool in their first game of the New Year, Newcastle made manager Eddie Howe’s pressure start to mount with a much-needed 3-0 away victory over Tyne-Wear rivals Sunderland in the FA Cup third round last weekend. Later this month, Newcastle will play Fulham in the fourth round. First, they have to focus on Saturday’s match against Man City. The Magpies’ Premier League record against the Citizens is unsatisfactory. They have only won one, drawn five, and lost 26 of their previous 32 meetings.
Newcastle could fall 14 points behind the top four if other results go against them. It would seriously jeopardize their chances of qualifying for the Champions League. A loss on Saturday would be their tenth in the top flight this season. It is twice as many as they had during the whole of the previous campaign. FA Cup winners Man City also safely advanced to the fourth round after defeating Championship team Huddersfield Town 5-0 at the Etihad Stadium the previous weekend, extending their winning streak to eight games across all competitions.
After making his eagerly anticipated comeback from injury, Kevin De Bruyne made waves. The playmaker came off the bench to set up fellow returnee Jeremy Doku for City’s fifth goal. It came after goals from Julian Alvarez, Phil Foden, and Ben Jackson had put the game to bed. Pep Guardiola’s team has to make the most of their home crowd this weekend to close the five-point deficit they currently have over Premier League leaders Liverpool, who have played one more game. This is before they prepare for a difficult trip to Tottenham Hotspur in the fourth round later this month.
Team News
Joe Willock, a midfielder for Newcastle, is reportedly recovering from an Achilles injury behind schedule. He is still out of action, along with Callum Wilson, Matt Targett, Jake Murphy, Nick Pope, Harvey Barnes, Elliott Anderson, and Javi Manquillo (groin). After suffering a thigh injury against Sunderland, Joelinton is almost definitely going to be sidelined; Lewis Miley, 17, might fill in at center midfield alongside Bruno Guimaraes and Sean Longstaff.
Fabian Schar, who signed a contract extension with Newcastle earlier this week, is anticipated to stick with former Manchester City player Kieran Trippier in the defensive four along with Sven Botman and Dan Burn. Isak, Miguel Almiron, and Anthony Gordon will continue to play in the front three. Regarding Man City, Karl Haaland (foot), Manuel Akanji (knee), Bernardo Silva (illness), and Kalvin Phillips (sickness) will all be evaluated prior to kickoff. John Stones (ankle) is still out.
When Bernardo returns, he might take Oscar Bobb’s place on the right flank. He would join the in-form Foden, Jack Grealish, and Alvarez in the final third. Although De Bruyne and Doku are both eager to gain more experience playing for the first team, it is unlikely that they will be in Guardiola’s starting lineup on Saturday.
Newcastle United 1-2 Manchester City
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