Newcastle United host Manchester City in the Premier League’s early kick-off on Saturday. The Magpies will be looking to bounce back following a disappointing defeat to Aston Villa last time out, while Man City must win to keep the pressure on league-leaders Liverpool.
Steve Bruce’s side slipped to 14th in the table last weekend. Newcastle were outplayed in every department at Villa Park and two first-half goals killed off the game. The Magpies offered very little threat going forward and looked shaky at the back.
Newcastle had won two games on the bounce prior to their previous match. A 3-2 victory away at West Ham was followed up by a 2-1 home victory over Bournemouth, but the lackluster display in their last game was a reminder of where the team is at right now.
Only bottom-place Watford have scored fewer goals than Newcastle in the Premier League this season. Bruce’s preferred front-three – Joelinton, Allan Saint-Maximin and Miguel Almiron – have only scored one goal between them in 2019/20.
On the other hand, Manchester City are the division’s leading goal-scorers. Pep Guardiola’s men have netted 37 goals in 13 games – an average of just under three goals per game.
The Sky Blues leapfrogged Chelsea after beating Lampard’s side in their previous league outing. Goals from Kevin De Bruyne and Riyad Mahrez saw City come from behind following N’Golo Kante’s opener. City are up to 3rd in the table – one point behind Leicester.
Man City secured their place in the last 16 of the Champions League in midweek. Despite dominating the game, City could only manage a 1-1 draw with Shakhtar Donetsk. Still, a point was enough to ensure qualification for the next round.
Star striker Sergio Aguero missed City’s last game with a thigh problem and the Argentine is set to be sidelined for a couple of weeks. Key defender Aymeric Laporte is still injured, while Oleksandr Zinchenko is a major doubt.
As for Newcastle, club captain Jamaal Lascelles isn't expected to return to first-team action for a month. He will be sorely missed against City, but Bruce has some important selection decisions to make at the other end of the pitch following the team’s lack of goals.
Manchester City have scored two of more goals in four of their last five league games, while Newcastle have failed to keep a clean sheet in their previous five matches. All the signs are pointing towards a comfortable win for the visitors.
Forebet predicts that Manchester City will score over 2.5 goals on their way to victory on Saturday. A clean sheet could also be on the cards for the away side.
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