Newcastle United vs Manchester City

St James’ Park forms the backdrop for a mouth-watering Premier League encounter between Newcastle United and Manchester City.

Injury-hit Newcastle United recovered from a disastrous four-game losing streak in all competitions with a commanding 3-0 FA Cup win against second-tier Sunderland last time out. However, a 4-2 defeat at Liverpool in their opening Premier League fixture of 2024 left the ‘Magpies’ stranded in mid-table, 11 points off fourth-placed Arsenal. As pressure intensifies on manager Eddie Howe, the Tyneside giants return home seeking amends for a frustrating 3-1 defeat to Nottingham Forest in their last league outing at St James’ Park, which ended their seven-match winning streak in home league action. But despite beating Manchester City 1-0 in the League Cup earlier this season, you’d need to go back to January 2019 for their last H2H victory in the Premier League (D2, L7).

On the other hand, Manchester City celebrated Kevin De Bruyne’s long-anticipated return to the fold with an overwhelming 5-0 FA Cup triumph against Championship side Huddersfield Town, making it five wins on the trot in all competitions. Pep Guardiola’s men have won back-to-back Premier League matches since lifting their maiden Club World Cup trophy in December to close the gap on table-topping Liverpool to five points. With a game in hand, the ‘Citizens’ are in the running for a piece of history, bidding to become the first-ever side to win four successive titles in the Premier League era. Yet, the visitors know better than to underestimate Newcastle, especially after blowing hot and cold across their last four Premier League travels (W2, D1, L1). But since they’ve averaged 2.4 goals per game in their five most recent away league matches, confidence should be high around the traveling camp.