Newcastle v Man City- Preview, Predictions, and Best Bets

Newcastle host Man City in the English Premier League on Saturday night. The Magpies have lost five of their last six matches and have conceded 26 goals in their last eight league fixtures vs City. They did beat Pep Guardiola’s side 1-0 in the Carabao Cup earlier this season though.

Newcastle Form

Newcastle have won just two of their last nine matches in all competitions. They’ve lost five away league matches in a row including 3-0 at Everton and 4-1 at Tottenham. After a 2-1 home loss to exit European competitions, they beat ten-man Fulham 3-0 at home. Their last four matches have seen three losses.

They deservedly lost 1-0 at Luton and 3-1 at home to Nottingham Forest. A 4-2 defeat at Liverpool saw them concede a record-breaking 7.11 Expected Goals. They showed some semblance of form on Saturday in winning 3-0 away at arch-rivals Sunderland in the FA Cup third round.

Newcastle Team News

The Toon are without Nick Pope in goal and all of Elliot Anderson, Sandro Tonali, and Joe Willock in midfield. Joelinton is another doubt in the engine room.

Callum Wilson, Harvey Barnes, and Jacob Murphy won’t play again until the end of the month. Options in attack are limited and with around 10 players absent, there won’t be much cover on Newcastle’s bench.

Newcastle Motivation

Eddie Howe’s team usually loses this fixture. They will play with a high tempo and look to arrest their poor form.

Newcastle will play for a win in this match but would probably be very happy with a point too.

Man City Form

City have lost just once in 18 matches in all competitions. A shock 1-0 loss at Aston Villa in early December saw them have just two shots all match. The last eight matches have yielded seven wins as the side focuses on closing the gap in the Premier League. A 4-0 win over Fluminense secured the FIFA Club World Cup.

City then went to Everton and won 3-1 in fortuitous circumstances before a bog-standard 2-0 home win over Sheffield United in the league. On Sunday, they cruised 5-0 past Huddersfield in the FA Cup.

Man City Team News

Pep Guardiola has just one player 100% ruled out for this match John Stones. Five others are doubtful. Bernardo Silva and fringe players Scott Carson and Kalvin Phillips are all question marks due to illness.

Manuel Akanji has a knock at left-back whilst this match may come too soon for Erling Haaland. Jeremy Doku and Kevin De Bruyne are fit again but the latter may not start this match after a long-term injury.

Man City Motivation

City will play to win this match and won’t consider a draw to be a good result.

They will play to control possession and take the sting out of the crowd. Guardiola will be set up to protect against the pressing and fast break attacks of the hosts.

Key Stats

City have scored 26 goals in their last 8 EPL fixtures against the Toon.

City have won their last 5 matches (17-1 aggregate)

Newcastle have won just two of their last nine matches (all competitions).

Newcastle have conceded 2+ goals in 9 of their last 11 matches vs Man Cit

Verdict

Considering the form and confidence of these two teams, a City win looks more likely.

Best Bet: Man City win at 1.57

Alternate Bet: Both Teams to Score at 1.68

Goalscorer Tip: Isak and Alvarez to both score anytime at 6.56

James O'Connor

James is a football analyst who writes about the tactics of the PSL and English Premier League. He holds the UEFA A coaching licence and has previously worked for several clubs in analysis roles.Twitter: https://twitter.com/footy_analysis