Saturday’s Premier League action gets underway with a mouth-watering contest at the Etihad, as reigning English champions Manchester City entertain top-four hopefuls Newcastle United.
Defending champions Manchester City welcome top-four contenders Newcastle United to the Etihad Stadium this weekend, with both sides hunting teams above them.
Pep Guardiola’s men find themselves five points behind Arsenal after the Gunners cashed in on their game in hand with a comprehensive 4-0 victory against Everton on Wednesday. They will now look to cut the deficit back to two points, albeit for a few hours. With 13 games remaining, this is generally the time when the Citizens pull together one of those title-winning streaks. But the same has not been the case this season.
The Citizens have fallen short of the lofty standards placed on the Manchester City machine lately. They have won three, drawn one, and suffered a defeat once in their last five Premier League games. Their loss came at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. But the Sky Blues bounced back with back-to-back 3-1 victories over both Aston Villa and title rivals Arsenal.
However, Guardiola’s side were immediately pegged back, dropping further points in a 1-1 draw away at Nottingham Forest, followed by another 1-1, this time in the first leg of their Round of 16 tie against RB Leipzig. They come into this game with high spirits, though, thumping Bournemouth 4-0 in the Premier League last weekend before securing a safe passage to the FA Cup quarter-finals with a 3-0 victory over Bristol City.
Meanwhile, Newcastle United will look to rebound from the disappointment of losing the Carabao Cup final to Manchester City’s cross-city rivals and push themselves back into top-four contention following a recent dismal run of form.
Regardless, the Magpies are on the right track, and they should be proud of what they have achieved so far. As the Toon faithful certainly are, many fans stayed and clapped at the players at the end of the cup final, which was a brilliant sight.
These two sides played out an entertaining 3-3 draw in the reverse fixture at St. James’ Park. And this Saturday’s clash has the makings to be just as thrilling, with a lot riding on it in context to the complexion of the Premier League table.
With Arsenal putting some daylight at the top of the table following the events in midweek, the pressure will be on Manchester City to close the gap with a win here. But Newcastle will certainly have to say something about their own plans as they look to force themselves into the top four once again.
Team News & Tactics
Manchester City
Try and watch this without flinching! 😅
Tap the link to watch the best bits of today's training session ⤵️
— Manchester City (@ManCity) March 1, 2023
John Stones has been out with a hamstring injury since City’s FA Cup victory against Arsenal. Meanwhile, Aymeric Laporte has missed games against RB Leipzig, Bournemouth, and Bristol City due to sickness. The duo could, however, return to the fold for the upcoming game, making Manchester City a potentially fully fit squad.
Backup goalkeeper Stefan Ortega will also be back after sustaining a hand injury during Manchester City’s win over Bristol City. But he was never expected to feature here anyways, with Ederson likely to return to his position between the sticks for this weekend’s clash.
Considering Manchester City operate with a 3-2-4-1 setup in possession, Ruben Dias could retain his place in the middle of the centre-back trio. Kyle Walker and Nathan Ake will continue to operate as the right-sided and left-sided centre-half roles, with Laporte still not fully fit to start.
Up ahead in central midfield, Rodri and Ilkay Gundogan should slot into the double pivot. Guardiola’s attack has started firing again, with Manchester City scoring seven goals in the last two games.
Right in front of the double pivot is where we expect Bernardo Silva and Kevin De Bruyne to be deployed as the advanced No. 8s, with the latter set to be restored to the starting XI after missing the last two games through illness. The former will push the team up the field with his creativity and relentless press, all instrumental to Manchester City’s new style of play.
Phil Foden will keep his place as the left-sided wide player after returning to form lately. But Riyad Mahrez will hope to put his trickery and lethal left foot to good use on the right flank. After a full rest on Tuesday, Erling Haaland will be raring to go on Saturday lunchtime and will be a handful for Newcastle defenders to deal with.
Probable Lineup (3-2-4-1): Ederson; Walker, Dias, Ake; Gundogan, Rodri; Mahrez, Silva, De Bruyne, Foden; Haaland
Newcastle United
Emil Krafth is still out with an injury. Bruno Guimaraes suffered a foot injury in the Carabao Cup final. But he will be fit and available for this game after being spotted in training images. The Brazilian maestro will form a midfield trio, with workhorses Joelinton and Sean Longstaff reprising the No. 8 role.
After a lot of controversy, Nick Pope will be available for selection after serving his suspension for his red card against Liverpool. That will be a definite boost for Newcastle, even though Loris Karius did a fine job against Manchester United last time out.
🇧🇷🇧🇷 https://t.co/It6JkP5JXt pic.twitter.com/4V1gtdsI90
— Newcastle United FC (@NUFC) March 2, 2023
At the back, there should be no surprises either, with Eddie Howe more often than not preferring the same back-four, which consists of Kieran Trippier, Fabian Schar, Sven Botman, and Dan Burn. However, Matt Targett has resumed full fitness and presents a more ball-playing and marauding option than Burn.
Allan Saint-Maximin was superb in that 3-3 draw with City back in August, notching two assists in a breathtaking display. The Frenchman will need to put up a similar performance if Newcastle are to get a positive result here. The good news for Howe is that their maverick has looked to be coming back to his best in the last few games and will relish the battle against Walker.
Alexander Isak can come in along with Anthony Gordon to give Callum Wilson and Miguel Almiron a breather. Given the insipid form of Wilson, Isak could just be the dynamic option Howe is looking for; he was full of running, drive, and purpose and changed our tempo when he came on against Manchester United, while his partnership with Saint-Maximin has the potential to blossom if given a good run of games together.
Probable Lineup (4-3-3): Pope; Trippier, Schar, Botman, Burn; Longstaff, Guimaraes, Joelinton; Gordon, Isak, Saint-Maximin
Key Stats
- Manchester City have won 14 of their last 16 Premier League home games (D1 L1).
- Manchester City have won their last 13 Premier League home games against Newcastle United.
- The Sky Blues have already lost more games in 25 matches this season than they lost in the entirety of last season, with four losses already under their belt.
- Newcastle United are unbeaten in eight Premier League away games (W4 D4), with each of the last three games ending in a stalemate.
- goalkeeper Ederson’s next clean sheet for Man City will be his 100th in the English top flight. However, he has conceded in each of his last five games since preserving his 99th shutout.
Player to Watch
Phil Foden
Pep Guardiola has hailed Phil Foden’s “flabbergasting” return to form for Manchester City after the midfielder confessed his stop-start season was one of the lowest points of his career.
Foden picked up an ankle injury at the World Cup, and the recent impressive performances of Riyad Mahrez and Jack Grealish have also limited his minutes. But he continued his goalscoring streak in the 3-0 FA Cup victory at Bristol City, where he found the back of the net twice.
The Englishman was also on target in Manchester City’s last league game against Bournemouth. So it appears his form is peaking just at the right time for City as the title race heats up. He will be looking to maintain his goalscoring exploits here against Newcastle.
Prediction
Manchester City 2-1 Newcastle United
It will be intriguing to see how Newcastle United will respond to their deflating Carabao Cup final defeat. It is not that there has been some sort of complacency or lack of effort in their recent performances; it’s just that final product that has left them scratching their heads. Hence, there are presumptions that wheels have come off lately.
The last team you want to face when you are still recovering from an emotional cup final loss is a rampant Manchester City. Pep Guardiola’s men know they are in a title race and have their work cut out for them to defend their Premier League crown.
Newcastle’s form had deteriorated before the cup final. And the clinical Manchester City should have enough to take all three points here. Make no mistake, it won’t be easy, as the Magpies will take the Citizens to their limits in their effort to bounce back from their recent slump. The Hard Tackle backs the home side to come out on top with a narrow 2-1 win here.
