Newcastle United face Manchester City in one of the weekend's standout matchesplaceholder image
Newcastle United face Manchester City in one of the weekend's standout matches | Getty Images/ Canva
Newcastle United’s predicted XI against Manchester City as they look to put an end to their barren run against Pep Guardiola’s side
After successive 3-1 defeats in the capital against West Ham United and Brentford, Newcastle United return to home comforts with a challenging match against title hopefuls Manchester City. In recent years, St. James’ Park has become something of a fortress for the North East club and Eddie Howe, with many of the team’s finest results and performances coming in front of the Magpies fanbase.
They are currently on a five-match winning run at home across all competitions, and despite their torrid start to the campaign, have generally stepped up their levels when they’ve had the home crowd backing them. However, they are coming against a real force to be reckoned with in Pep Guardiola’s side and are seeking just their third league victory against the Cityzens since 2005 when Alan Shearer and Michael Owen were still leading the line.
Howe has only ever beaten Guardiola once in 18 attempts in his managerial career and that came in the Carabao Cup two seasons ago. He’s tried many different ways to try and gain an edge on the Spaniard, but what will he try this time around to try and change the recent pattern of poor results?
Here we take a look at Newcastle’s predicted starting line-up for the weekend as an array of changes are made.
Newcastle United predicted line-up vs Man City: goalkeeper and defence
GK: Aaron Ramsdale: It’s a brave call, but summer signing Ramsdale could finally be given the chance to start in between the posts after a long wait. Ramsdale, who has impressed in the Carabao Cup, made his Premier League debut for the Toon when he replaced Nick Pope in the closing moments of the Brentford game due to concussion. That timeline has since passed over the international break, but Howe could still be tempted to give Ramsdale the nod over Pope due to his superior ball-playing abilities.
RB: Kieran Trippier: If Tino Livramento was fully fit, he’d probably get the nod, but at present Trippier is set to continue at right-back. He scored a memorable free kick in a 3-3 draw against City three seasons ago and would love to produce another moment of magic.
CB: Malick Thiaw: Newcastle have been shocking at the back in recent weeks, but one player that hasn’t deserved to be on the losing side is Thiaw, who has been one of the club’s best signings this season.
CB: Sven Botman: Fabian Schar might feel slightly unlucky to miss out, particularly given Botman’s late error against Brentford. But we expect Howe to stick with a familiar centre-back pairing which on the whole has been good over the course of the campaign so far.
LB: Lewis Hall: Dan Burn’s recent red card leaves Howe no choice but to put Hall back in the starting lineup for the first time since his injury. He was one of Newcastle’s best players before his setback in February and offers the Magpies much greater mobility and speed going forward as opposed to Burn, who has struggled in a position much less suited to his skill set.
Newcastle United predicted line-up vs Man City: midfield and attack
CM: Bruno Guimaraes: If Newcastle are to get a positive result, they’ll need to see the very best of skipper Guimaraes, who has popped up with three league goals this season. Statistically speaking he’s been at the very top for distance covered since he joined and he’ll likely have his work cut out for him again against a very creative City midfield.
CM: Sandro Tonali: The Italian is right up there with Newcastle’s most talented midfielders of the Premier League era, but his recent two performances have been well below par. He was a slight injury doubt after being recalled early by Italy, but has since been passed fit to play.
CM: Jacob Ramsey: Joelinton hasn’t hit the heights expected of him this season and could drop out to make way for summer signing Ramsey. The former Aston Villa man is yet to discover his best for a Black and White shirt but has a real chance to make an impression now he’s fully fit again.
RW: Anthony Elanga: Swedish international Elanga is yet to register a single goal or assist and has recently fallen down the pecking order behind Jacob Murphy. However, this could be the perfect afternoon for the former Nottingham Forest man to endear himself to the Black and White faithful. Elanga has electric pace and great dribbling ability which could be vital in a game where Newcastle will need to hit City quickly on the counter attack at times.
ST: Nick Woltemade: The German international has delivered goals since his club-record move from VfB Stuttgart, but at times has also been an isolated figure. He’ll be demanding more service from those around him as he continues to try and add to his tally of four league goals and six across all competitions.
LW: Harvey Barnes: Newcastle’s only bright spark in the defeat to Brentford was Barnes beautifully taken opener. He’ll face competition from Anthony Gordon as he returns from a hip injury but is likely to get the nod ahead of the former Everton winger for this one.
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