Alan Shearer has been discussing all things Newcastle United ahead of tonight’s 8pm kick-off at Man City.
It’s our fourth away game in a row and a chance to make it four wins on the spin – but to do that we’ll have to overcome a Man City side we’ve not beaten at the Etihad since October 2014!
But before he previewed tonight’s 8pm kick-off and shared his prediction, Shearer spoke to Betfair about rumours claiming Nick Woltemade is ‘unsettled’ at Newcastle and looking to move back to the Bundesliga.
Shearer has urged fans to ignore the rumours, which [appear to be absolute nonsense](https://www.nufcblog.co.uk/2026/02/19/absolute-nonsense-on-nick-woltemade/), praising his recent displays in a deeper role; even if he may prefer to operate in a slightly more advanced role.
> _“I wouldn’t believe any of that on Woltemade leaving Newcastle. I don’t know who it probably is trying to unsettle things again but, he got his goal at Aston Villa, his position in terms of where he’s now playing has changed slightly under Eddie, which they had to do, because it’s clear that look, he’ll do a job in there, but it’s not his favoured position, you can tell that._
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> _“And we’ve all sort of witnessed that, but he had a good start in terms of goals. I think the noise will settle down because of how he’s playing now, where he’s playing now._
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> _“He looks a better player in that position, he looks more comfortable, more suited to what Eddie’s asking him to do. So, no, I wouldn’t believe any of that.”_
Woltemade has played as more of an attacking midfielder in our last two games, scoring in our 3-1 win at Aston Villa last weekend before shining again in Wednesday’s 6-1 victory at Qarabag in the Champions League.
Howe also rejected claims that the German was unhappy on Tyneside in yesterday’s press conference, saying “that’s not the player I’m seeing” while praising his positivity and development behind the scenes, hailing his attitude and the way he’s bonded with his new teammates.
Moving to Man City, Shearer has discussed the challenge ahead, explaining why he’s fearing another win for Pep Guardiola’s men, despite our strong run of away form over the last 10 days.
> _“Well, it’s going to be a minimum of five games that Newcastle play Man City this season, it could even be six, depending on what happens in the Champions League if Newcastle were to get through the round of 16 as well as Man City, then they could meet each other again, but five times guaranteed with the draw in the FA Cup._
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> _“I mean, with Newcastle’s form at the Etihad, it’d take a brave man to predict anything other than a Man City win. As much as it hurts me, probably because of that, Man City ((will win._
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> _“Newcastle are going to be full of confidence off the back of three straight away wins. But it hasn’t helped that Man City have had a free week and Newcastle had a long journey on a Wednesday when they’re playing on a Saturday night. So, yeah, it’s a big ask for Newcastle, but they’re in good form away from home._
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> _“I just look at their record at Manchester City and it’s dreadful. So, it’d take a brave man to predict anything other than a City win._
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> _“City will be raring to go for this. I mean, there’s no doubt that they would have watched the Arsenal game. Pep would have watched the Arsenal game and now they’ve now got to go and put the pressure back on. They play before Arsenal this weekend again, so, it’s their turn to put the pressure back onto Arsenal for their game on Sunday.”_
Arsenal’s late collapse at Wolves on Wednesday has opened the door for Man City, with Guardiola’s side able to move two points behind the current leaders should they beat us tonight.