City travel to Newcastle looking to keep the pressure on at the top

Newcastle United v Manchester City preview

Manchester City will look to close the gap on Arsenal to a single point when they head to face Newcastle.

Author | Macca

Stadium | St James’ Park 

City celebrate at Brentford

It is the first meeting between the sides since February, when City swept to a 4-0 win at the Etihad Stadium, driven by a first-half hat-trick from Omar Marmoush.

The current state of play for Pep Guardiola and his players

Manchester City suffered two defeats in their opening three Premier League games this season, but that early stumble now feels a distant memory for Guardiola and his side. They have won 11 of their last 14 matches across all competitions, including six of their last eight league fixtures, signalling a return to their best form.

The Citizens made a statement to the rest of the Premier League, and Arsenal in particular, with a commanding 3-0 victory over reigning champions Liverpool at home. The win, which marked Guardiola's 1,000th game as a manager, lifted City to second in the table and to within four points of the Gunners, who face North London rivals Tottenham on Sunday.

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City team news

In his weekly press conference, Pep Guardiola issued an update on some of his players. The City boss: “Everybody is fit except Kova and Rodri,” the boss said at his pre-match news conference. Rodri is making steps good, it’s almost three weeks since his last setback. He knows he has to take time to recover well mentally and physically and to be consistent from now until the end.” 

Interesting stats

Manchester City lost two of their opening three Premier League games this season, conceding four goals in the process. Since then they have lost just once in their last eight league matches, winning six and drawing one, while conceding a further four goals.

Erling Haaland has scored 14 Premier League goals this season, nearly twice as many as the next highest scorer, Igor Thiago, who has eight. His next goal will be his 100th in the competition, and a strike in this match or any of his next 15 appearances would make him the fastest player to reach that milestone.

A quick look at City’s opposition

Newcastle ended the final international break of 2025 on a disappointing note, having lost consecutive Premier League matches away to West Ham United and Brentford. They fell 3-1 to the latter a fortnight ago despite taking an early lead through Harvey Barnes.

After finishing in the top five last season, the Magpies have won just three of their first 11 league games this term, drawing three and losing five. They currently sit 14th in the table, two points above the relegation zone and seven behind local rivals Sunderland in fourth place.