Manchester City could be without two midfielders for Saturday’s Premier League clash with Newcastle United at St James’ Park.
While Mateo Kovacic is facing a lengthy spell on the sidelines with an ankle/heel injury, Rodri is a doubt and his fitness will continue to be monitored in training ahead of kickoff.
Pep Guardiola steered his Citizens’ side to a statement 3-0 home victory over reigning champions Liverpool prior to the international break and the Catalan coach may consider sticking with the same starting lineup this weekend.
Gianluigi Donnarumma is all but certain to retain his spot in goal, while Matheus Nunes and Nico O’Reilly - fresh from earning his first two England caps - may get the nod to continue as full-backs as Ruben Dias and Josko Gvardiol link arms at centre-back.
Nico Gonzalez has impressed in recent weeks at the base of Man City’s midfield in the absence of Rodri and he is expected to start again on Saturday, with captain Bernardo Silva potentially playing alongside him in the middle of the pitch.
Tijjani Reijnders, who scored on international duty with the Netherlands earlier this week, will also be pushing to start in midfield, but Guardiola may decide to stick with playmaker Rayan Cherki and Phil Foden in advanced roles.
Cherki could begin on the right, but drift centrally to link up with Foden, while Jeremy Doku, who scored twice for Belgium on Tuesday, is expected to continue on the left flank after producing a man-of-the-match display against Liverpool last time out.
Omar Marmoush scored a first-half hat-trick in a 4-0 win over Newcastle in February, but he may be forced to begin on the substitutes’ bench this weekend, while few will be surprised to see goal machine Erling Haaland lead the line - the Norwegian has scored a remarkable 32 goals in just 20 games for club and country this season and he is just one goal away from reaching the 100 mark in the Premier League.
Manchester City possible starting lineup: Donnarumma; Nunes, Dias, Gvardiol, O’Reilly; Bernardo, Gonzalez; Cherki, Foden, Doku; Haaland
> Click here to see how Newcastle United could line up for this contest
ID:586008:1false2false3false: from db desktop :LenBod:collect4201:
No Data Analysis info