Newcastle United vs. Manchester City Preview:
Possible starting lineups:
Newcastle United:
Dubravka; Fernandez, Clark, Dummett; Murphy, Almiron, Shelvey, Willock, Ritchie; Saint-Maximin, Joelinton
Manchester City:
Ederson; Walker, Stones, Dias, Zinchenko; Silva, Rodrigo, Gundogan; Mahrez, Jesus, Foden
Newcastle United welcome Manchester City at St James Park on Friday. The Magpies are on the 16th place with 39 points. They are out of the relegation battle as the gap with 18th-placed Fulham is twelve points, with three matches to go. The actual form is good, they have three wins on the last five matches. Newcastle beat Burnley, West Ham and Leicester City. The 1:1 draw with Liverpool at Anfield should also be mentioned. The only defeat came against Arsenal. Manager Steve Bruce could be satisfied with the performance of his team. The atmosphere in the squad is very good. They will meet the already-relegated Sheffield United and Fulham in their final two matches, so I expect Steve Bruce to keep the promise that the Magpies will improve the last season's points tally of 44. But Bruce has some injury and suspension worries ahead of this match. Defender Fabian Schar, who's just recovered from knee operation, is banned after saw a red card against Arsenal. The Swiss international want to play at the upcoming Euro 2020 this summer, but the long rehabilitation and the current suspension are not helping him. The key striker Callum Wilson will not play this season because of a hamstring injury. Considering he is the club leading scorer with 12 goals, his absence is a huge handicap. That's not all as four additional players are out injured - Isaac Hayden, Jamaal Lascelles, Karl Darlow and Ryan Fraser.
Manchester City are officially new champions thanks to Leicester City victory at Old Trafford on Tuesday. Their lead at the top is 10 points, with only three matches remaining. Man City have already secured the League Cup trophy after beat Tottenham and they are on the way to the treble. The most important match will come on May 29, when they will face Chelsea in the Champions League final. It is not clear where the match will be played as there are three options - Istanbul, London or Lisbon. The actual form isn't at desired level, City lost 2:1 to Chelsea last week. Both managers tried to hide something on that game, keeping the cards close to chest. Raheem Sterling scored the opener just before half-time and then City had a chance for second goal through penalty. Sergio Aguero tried Panenka, but it was a poor effort that costed his team the points. Hakim Ziyech and Marcos Alonso scored the goals for Chelsea and turned out the result. Despite the loss, the atmosphere in the squad is excellent, while the players confidence is high. Guardiola has most of the players available, only Kevin de Bruyne remain sidelined. The Belgian international missed out against Chelsea last week and won't be risked here. Some players that were rested against the Blues (Phil Foden, Ilkay Gundogan, Bernardo Silva) should play here, as well as John Stones who served a three-match suspension.
Newcastle United vs. Manchester City Prediction:
I expect both teams to score at St James Park. I should not explain anything about Manchester City, they will surely score here. The question is about Newcastle, are they able to find the back of the net against the new champions? I think so. The Magpies play good against the favorites. They stunned Leicester City 4:2 away from home last week. Previously they upseted Liverpool and Tottenham. Bruce's men played 1:1 against the Reds and 2:2 against the Spurs. The victory over high flying West Ham should also be mentioned, Newcastle won 3:2 on that match. I am well aware of the fact they will be missing the best scorer Callum Wilson due to injury, but I still believe they could score against the new champions.
Newcastle United vs. Manchester City Pick: Both teams to score - Yes @ 2.10 with 10bet