Fresh from clinching the UEFA Super Cup, Manchester City return to Premier League action with a home fixture against Newcastle United on Saturday evening.
Man City claimed a comfortable 3-0 win against newly-promoted Burnley on the opening weekend, while the Magpies thrashed Aston Villa 5-1 at St. James’ Park.
And your UEFA Super Cup winners... Manchester City! 🏆 pic.twitter.com/dy4I5Ttw1h— Manchester City (@ManCity) August 16, 2023
And your UEFA Super Cup winners... Manchester City! 🏆 pic.twitter.com/dy4I5Ttw1h
Newcastle have had a week to recover from their first match of the season, but Pep Guardiola’s men were in action in Athens on Wednesday.
Manchester City played out a 1-1 draw with Sevilla in the UEFA Super Cup, with Cole Palmer’s equaliser canceling out Youssef En-Nesyri's opener.
However, the reigning Champions League winners triumphed 5-4 on penalties after Nemanja Gudelj missed Sevilla’s fifth spot kick.
Last weekend, Erling Haaland bagged a brace as Guardiola’s side made light work of Burnley, defeating the Premier League newcomers 3-1.
It is also worth noting that Man City won 17 of their 19 home league games en route to the title last season, scoring 60 goals while conceding just 17.
Meanwhile, Newcastle crushed Aston Villa 5-1 on the opening weekend, with Alexander Isak scoring twice in the rout.
There were also goals for Sandro Tonali, Callum Wilson and Harvey Barnes, while Eddie Howe’s men racked up 17 shots – 13 of which were on target.
Let’s not forget that no team suffered fewer Premier League defeats than Newcastle last term, as the Magpies swooped in to snatch a Champions League berth.
It is also worth remembering that Newcastle and Man City finished the previous campaign with the joint-best defensive record in the division, having both conceded 33 goals in 38 games.
Head-to-head: Last season, Newcastle held Man City to a 3-3 draw before Guardiola’s men won the reverse fixture 2-0 on home soil.
As a result, City have avoided defeat in each of their previous nine meetings with the Magpies, securing seven victories while scoring over 1.5 goals in each encounter.
Team news: Manchester City will be without the injured Kevin De Bruyne for several months, while Bernardo Silva is a doubt for Saturday’s clash due to illness.
On the flip side, Newcastle United’s injury list contains three players – Joe Willock, Emil Krafth and Javier Manquillo.
Although Newcastle kicked off the new campaign in style, the Magpies will struggle to replicate their previous performance at the Etihad Stadium.
With that in mind, Forebet predicts that Manchester City will score over 2.5 goals on their way to dispatching Newcastle.