Newcastle United vs Manchester City

St James’ Park is the venue as relegation-threatened Newcastle United and Premier League pacesetters Manchester City lock horns in contrasting circumstances.

Despite taking an early lead at Anfield last time out, Newcastle United fell to a 3-1 loss to Liverpool as their stuttering Premier League campaign continues to worry their fans. Yet, the ‘Magpies’ head into proceedings just three points adrift of safety, which could sound surprising, given that they’ve only won one of their 17 Premier League fixtures this term (D7, L9). Much of Newcastle’s problems have emanated from a leaky defense that has conceded a league-high 37 goals in the Premier League this season, an average of 2.17 per game. Another seemingly frustrating weekend is well on the cards, as the Tynesiders take on a Man City side they’ve defeated just once in their previous 27 Premier League H2Hs (D4, L2), losing the last three in a row by an aggregate score of 11-3.

On the other hand, Manchester City go into this fixture on the back of an overwhelming 7-0 triumph over Leeds United in midweek Premier League action, taking their winning league streak to seven straight matches. Pep Guardiola’s men netted an average of 2.85 goals per game during that sequence, highlighting the potential for another landslide victory. Topically, the ‘Citizens’ have found the back of the net in each of their last 25 Premier League meetings with Newcastle and could equal Arsenal’s all-time Premier League record of scoring in 26 consecutive matches against specific opposition. Another piece of history is there for the taking, as a potential victory at St James’ Park would see Man City register their 34th Premier League win in 2021, which would be a new top-flight record in English football.