It’s a must-win match for Manchester City against Newcastle, following a difficult couple of weeks.
By Ian King
Five goals are all that separate the sides
How quickly things change. It’s only been a couple of weeks since Manchester City were BACK, but now they’re BACK IN CRISIS following a fortnight which has taken in getting their buttocks handed to them on a silver platter by Arsenal, making rather too hard work of beating Leyton Orient in the Cup, and surrendering a winning lead in the closing few minutes of their Champions League match against Real Madrid.
It’s unclear whether losing consecutive home games to Bournemouth and Fulham constitutes a CRISIS or not, but Newcastle got past Birmingham in the FA Cup following a bit of a scare and eased past Arsenal in the Carabao Cup over two legs, winning both matches comfortably. They’re separated from Manchester City in the League by goals scored only, with the teams tied on both points and goal difference.
History
These two have met at Wembley in the finals of both the FA Cup and the League Cup, with Newcastle beating City to win the FA Cup in 1955 and City beating Newcastle to win the League Cup in 1976. Newcastle’s form in the modern form of this fixture has, however, been atrocious for so long that it even predates the Abu Dhabi years. These two have met 39 times in all competitions since the start of 2006, and Newcastle have won precisely three games, two of which have come in the League Cup.
The earlier league fixture between the sides this season ended in a 1-1 draw.
Key players
Alexander Isak has been Newcastle’s starboy so far this season, with seventeen goals. He was the Premier League’s player of the month for December, having registered eight goals and two assists throughout that calendar month alone. Can Manchester City’s creaking defence cope with him? The two late goals conceded on Tuesday night certainly indicated that there are gaps that can be exploited. This could be a big game for John Stones, who will likely have his work cut out.
Team News
Jack Grealish and Manuel Akanji are fresh injury doubts for Pep Guardiola. Both were withdrawn during the Real Madrid match, while Oscar Bobb remains sidelined and Rodri won’t be back any time soon. Matheus Nunes was back on the bench on Wednesday and could return. It looks like Anthony Gordon, Dan Burn, and Sven Botman, all of whom were possible absentees for this match, will be okay for Newcastle, though Joelinton, Harvey Barnes and Jamaal Lascelles all remain injured.
Prediction
With the two teams so tight in the table and both having had patchy form of late, this is a difficult match to call. The Newcastle who beat Arsenal so convincingly in the Carabao Cup (twice!) could easily beat the Manchester City who lost to Arsenal, but the City team who breezed past Chelsea just three weeks ago could easily do the same to the Newcastle team who forgot that they had to play a second half against Fulham. Defensive wobbliness and mercurial attacking talent on both teams hints at something like a 2-2 draw.
(Cover image from IMAGO)
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