Newcastle United welcome Manchester City to St James’ Park in Saturday’s big Premier League fixture.
The Magpies finally broke their losing run when they beat their bitter local rivals Sunderland in the FA Cup last weekend. Manager Eddie Howe will be hoping his team can translate that into the league now as they face title chasers City.
The visitors come into this on the back of a five game winning streak, having secured the FIFA Club World Cup just before Christmas. They’ve come back from that refreshed and ready to attack the second half of the campaign.
Here, we’ll preview this Premier League game in the hopes we can provide you with some winning tips. Keep reading for more…
Back on track
After losing ground in the title race early on in the season, City have gotten right back on track. Heading into this game, the Citizens find themselves five points off leaders Liverpool and this is their game in hand to cut that lead to just two.
When it comes to needing to get back on track, there’s no club that needs it more than Newcastle. The Magpies need to get some points on the board if they’re going to have any realistic chance of qualifying for European football next season.
Phil your boots
With star striker Erling Haaland out injured, many questioned how City would compete. However, Pep Guardiola’s embarrassment of riches in his squad has ensured that his side have kept up their recent momentum. That’s been largely thanks to Phil Foden.
The young midfielder has really stepped up his game with the Norwegian midfielder out and it’s ensured that City are still in with a shot at the title. The visitors are further boosted by the fact that Kevin De Bruyne has recently returned from a lengthy injury lay-off also.
Recent meetings
Manchester City have dominated the recent head to head between these sides. Of the last 10 meetings between City and Newcastle, the Manchester club have won eight with one of the games ending in a draw. Newcastle have only won one in that period, and that was also the most recent clash back in September 2023. That was a League Cup tie which was decided by an Alexander Isak goal to send the Geordies through to the next round.
In the Premier League, Newcastle haven’t won this fixture since January 2019, so there are serious demons that need to be exercised for the hosts. The Magpies have been on the wrong end of some embarrassing score lines against this opponent in the past and, given their extensive injury list of late, they’ll be keen to avoid another here. Eddie Howe’s need to be confident and attack City on the front foot if they’re to get anything out of this game. It’s set up to be yet another fascinating Premier League encounter at St James’ Park between these two.
Suggested bets
- Manchester City to Win & BTTS
- Alexander Isak & Phil Foden to Score
- 3-1 Correct Score
