Manchester City vs Newcastle United. Prediction and Preview. Probable Lineups, Team News, Stats and more

Manchester City FC will host Newcastle United  FC in the English Premier League 26th-tour match at Etihad Stadium. The fixture will take place on March 4, beginning at 18:00 IST.

Man City risk seeing Arsenal pull too far away in the EPL title race in the case of a draw or a loss, does Pep Guardiola have the plan to get through the league’s most reliable defence and take all 3 points? Will the prolific scorer Erling Haaland help him or will Eddie Howe’s stalwart boys be able to neutralize a record-breaking youngster and his teammates to make a serious statement?

What can we expect this Saturday evening? Parimatch News will tell you everything you need to know ahead of the upcoming match.

Manchester City News & Current Form:

The 26th round of the English Premier League kicks off the programme at the Etihad Stadium and it is a welcome event for Manchester City’s players and fans. Josep Guardiola’s side return to the home ground after five successive away games. The occasion is weighty – one of the sensations of the current season, Newcastle United, arrives.

The Citizens’ five-match away trip went well, but it could have been better – three wins and two draws. Among others, leading Arsenal FC (3 – 1) were beaten. However, after losing the points to Nottingham Forest FC (1 – 1), Man City once again lost the Gunners first place in the standings.

Guardiola had less than four days to prepare for the Magpies as City beat Championship side Bristol City FC 3 – 0 on the last day of February to reach the Emirates FA Cup quarter-finals. In this encounter, more than half of the Blues’ starting line-up were core players, but top scorer Erling Haaland was given a rest.  In the 7th minute, Phil Foden gave his side the lead, he also scored the second goal in the 74th minute. The final score in the match was set by Kevin de Bruyne of Belgium, who distinguished himself in the 81st minute.

Haaland needed a brief breather. After his hat-trick against Wolverhampton Wanderers FC, the Norwegian scored only two goals in his next seven games in all competitions. His main rival in the position, Julian Alvarez, did not shine either, scoring only a goal in a similar stretch of play.

Manchester City have not yet lost at home since the FIFA World Cup break – six wins by a combined score of 18-5 and a frustrating 1-1 draw with Everton FC. 

A start to the UEFA Champions League play-offs disappointed many, but a pragmatic 1-1 away win against RB Leipzig was generally to the England side’s advantage as they played in Germany. 

Top scorer Erling Haaland running to coach Pep Guardiola after securing another goal for Manchester City

Manchester City have just one name on their injury list. John Stones is out due to a thigh injury.

Newcastle United News & Current Form: 

As for Newcastle, Eddie Howe’s side have two more days of preparation, but the previous match took a lot of energy and emotion away. The Magpies missed their chance to win their first major trophy in 68 years, losing in the English Football League Cup final to a nearly flawless Manchester United FC (0 – 2).

Including the Wembley performances, the Black and Whites have not won in four consecutive meetings. Before the match against the Red Devils, Eddie Howe also capitulated against Liverpool FC (0 – 2), and before that he failed to beat struggling West Ham United FC (1 – 1) and AFC Bournemouth (1 – 1).

In the Premier League, the picture is also bleak, with one win, five draws and a defeat in one of the last seven games. In only three of those seven games did Newcastle manage to score a goal. The good thing is that the players are not conceding much.

Only two teams in the current EPL season have managed to score more than one goal for the Magpies – Liverpool and Manchester City. The first-round match against the Citizens ended in a 3 – 3 draw. However, this game took place at the beginning of the season, when Newcastle took a long time to pick up the pace.

Due to the ongoing slump, the club fell out of the top four in the top division and let Tottenham Hotspur FC down by four points. The next loss of points could also cost them fifth place, but Newcastle have two more games in reserve compared to their neighbors in the standings.

Eddie Howe’s side have picked up just six points in their last five EPL fixtures. The team is winless in four meetings. The Magpies are 5th in the league table with 41 points. The goal difference on the season is 35-15. 

On the injured list is Emil Krafth, who has not played since the end of August.

Kieran Trippier and coach Eddie Howe after signing the player to play for Newcastle United

“We’re in a good position and now we’re fully focused on the league. We’ve got to get Sunday out of our heads straight away. We’ve got the right manager and some older heads in the team to help the squad to focus on the next game”, said Kieran Trippier about the upcoming match.

Manchester City form guide: W-W-D-D-W-W

Newcastle United form guide: W-W-D-D-L-L

Manchester City vs Newcastle United Head-To-Head Record: 

• June 28, 2020: Newcastle United 0 – 2 Manchester City (FA Cup);
• July 8, 2020: Manchester City 5 – 0 Newcastle United (Premier League);
• December 26, 2020: Manchester City 2 – 0 Newcastle United (Premier League);
• May 14, 2021: Newcastle United 3 – 4 Manchester City (Premier League);
• December 19, 2021: Newcastle United 0 – 4 Manchester City (Premier League);
• May 8, 2022: Manchester City 5 – 0 Newcastle United (Premier League);
• August 21, 2022: Newcastle United 3 – 3 Manchester City (Premier League).

Manchester City vs Newcastle United Predicted XI:

Manchester City possible starting lineup (3-2-4-1): Ederson; Walker, Akanji, Dias, Ake; De Bruyne, Rodri, Gundogan; Foden, Haaland, Grealish.

Newcastle United possible starting lineup (4-3-3): Pope; Trippier, Schar, Botman, Burn; Longstaff, Guimaraes, Joelinton; Almiron, Wilson, Saint-Maximin.

Statistical preview of the match Manchester City vs Newcastle United:

• Newcastle are unbeaten in 8 of their last 10 away games in the Premier League.
• Manchester City are unbeaten in their last 8 games against this opponent.
• Manchester City are unbeaten in their last 6 games.
• Manchester City are scoring an average of 2.40 goals per game in their last 5 games.
• Manchester City have scored in their last 6 games.
• Manchester City have conceded in 6 of their last 8 matches.
• Newcastle have conceded in their last 3 games.
• Newcastle are scoring an average of 0.80 goals per game in their last 5 games.
• Newcastle are conceding an average of 1.40 goals per game in their last 5 games.
• Manchester City are conceding an average of 0.80 goals per game in their last 5 games.
• Manchester City are scoring in their last 15 games against this opponent.

• City’s most productive players are Erling Holand (27 + 4) , Kevin de Bruyne (4 + 12), Phil Foden (8 + 5).
• Manchester City have scored against Newcastle in the first half in 20 games.
• In 8 games and 9 home meetings, Manchester City have scored against Newcastle in the second half.
• Newcastle’s most productive players are Miguel Almiron (10 +1), Callum Wilson (7 + 3), and Bruno Guimaraes (3 + 3).
• Newcastle have conceded 7 away goals in the league, the best figure in the league.

What has been said before the match:

Pep Guardiola complimented the opponent’s team:

“Incredible what happened last season and this season they are taking a step forward so it looks like they have come to stay. What I have seen lately is what they have done all season.”

“The threats, transitions, set pieces – best team in the league for many, many things. That is why they are there for a long, long time this season.”

“It is one of the toughest opponents we have until the end of the season for the quality, they do everything brilliantly. The threats, transitions, set pieces – best team in the league for many, many things. That is why they are there for a long, long time this season.”

Eddie Howe ahead of the EPL game against City:

“I don’t think our principles ever change. We’re going to need to be very good defensively and very good with the ball. We’re going to need to pose a threat in the game – I believe we can do that. Certainly we’ll need to get our foundations strong.”

“We were bruised but very quickly it turned to Manchester City. I didn’t think the passion and the motivation within me could increase but I think it has. The passion the fans showed will stay with me and we want to return that.”

Manchester City vs Newcastle United Prediction:

After the Champions League and English Premier League draws, the Citizens are now on a roll with two convincing successes with no margin for error as they seek to chase Arsenal out of the lead. In the game against Bournemouth, Haaland broke Sergio Agüero’s record for the most goals for MC in a single championship. The Norwegian has 27 goals under his belt and is certainly not going to stop.

Newcastle, in contrast, are going through bad times and the Magpies are no longer talked about with as much inspiration as they have been described recently. Eddie Howe’s boys seem to have forgotten how to score and win, and are now in poor form – failing to win four games in a row in various tournaments and competitions.  The team dropped out of the top four in the EPL and lost the English League Cup final, which gave a certain emotional burnout, as hopes of winning the first trophy in a long time were extremely high. 

The Magpies now travel to Etihad to get a draw, and Pep Guardiola is plotting how his lads will crack open Newcastle’s impenetrable, tight defence. Most likely, the Sky Blues will be able to get the upper hand, they are very good at home, but we do not expect to see a lot of goals. In addition, it is worth being cautious and expect the Black and Whites to earn a point, and it surely won’t be surprising as they are the EPL leaders in this regard (11 draws in 23 games).

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Parimatch News staff prediction:

We say: Manchester City will not lose and the match total will be less than 3.5 – Yes.