Manchester City vs Newcastle United

Etihad Stadium forms the backdrop for a high-stakes Premier League encounter between Manchester City and Newcastle United.

Manchester City’s worst season under Pep Guardiola hit a new low in midweek Champions League action as they squandered the lead twice to lose 3-2 to Real Madrid despite leading beyond the 85th minute. That was their third defeat across their last six outings in all competitions (W3), highlighting their inconsistency as a massive concern. A rare source of optimism could be Man City’s dominant home form against upcoming rivals Newcastle United, as they’ve won their last 15 top-flight H2Hs at the Etihad Stadium! Furthermore, Man City’s six most recent victories against the Magpies have yielded a clean sheet. That’s encouraging for the top-four hopefuls, considering they’ve failed to register a shutout across their last six competitive games, including an embarrassing 5-1 defeat at Arsenal in their latest Premier League fixture.

In the meantime, Newcastle United slumped to a dismal 2-1 home loss to Fulham in their last Premier League outing. However, they’ve since reached the League Cup final, courtesy of a 2-0 home win against Arsenal in the return leg of their semi-final tie, and advanced to the FA Cup round of 16 with a 3-2 win at third-tier Birmingham. Despite alternating between victories (2) and defeats (2) across their last four league games, a second top-four finish in three seasons remains a distinct possibility for Eddie Howe’s side. Indeed, they trail fourth-placed Chelsea by only two points, meaning a long-awaited win at Man City would fire them past the London outfit in the standings.